Man shot, wounded by Baltimore officers charged with assault

BALTIMORE (AP) — A man shot and wounded by Baltimore police while he was having a behavioral health crisis has been charged with first-degree assault for allegedly pointing a handgun at officers, according to charging documents.

Ricky Walker Jr., 33, remained hospitalized Tuesday with injuries previously described as critical, The Baltimore Sun reported.

A relative of Walker’s called police to a home around 3:30 a.m. July 1 to report that he was experiencing a crisis, telling dispatchers Walker “had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia,” police said.

Responding officers spoke to Walker for more than 10 minutes in an effort to deescalate the situation, but he “pulled out a handgun and pointed it in the direction of one of the officers” while they were speaking with him, according to a police department statement and the charging documents.

Officers Eduardo Ortiz-Delvalle and Avery Torand then fired their weapons, striking Walker in the torso, police said.

Walker’s wife had previously warned officers he may be armed with a handgun, but Walker told them he did not have any weapons, the charging documents alleged. Detectives wrote that officers found a second handgun, a loaded revolver, in Walker’s shorts as well as an AK-47 assault rifle on the ground.

Video from the cameras worn by officers was not immediately released. The department said its homicide unit and special investigation response team were reviewing the shooting.

It was unclear whether Walker had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.