Two suspects charged in shooting of Baltimore police officer
The duo — Elliiot Knox and Travon Shaw — was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Officer Keona Holley, as well as with murder for shooting 27-year-old Justin Johnson nearby, the Baltimore Police Department announced Friday.
The gunmen approached Holley — now in critical but stable condition, according to CNN — from behind around 1:30 a.m. Thursday and opened fire, hitting her multiple times, police said.
She was shot twice in the head, once in the leg and once in the hand, according to documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun.Both alleged shooters had criminal histories, according to a report.
Shaw, 32, was awaiting trial in Baltimore County for a March 2020 arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm, The Sun reported, citing courts records. He reportedly had a previous conviction for armed robbery and assault from a 2006 case.
Knox, 31, was convicted of three armed robberies in 2006, when he was 16 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Investigators found weapons allegedly used in the pair of shootings, the police department said.
“What we now know is that both shootings are related,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said during a news conference. “As we now know the perpetrators of Officer Holley’s shooting, they then left that scene, went to Lucia Avenue and then committed that homicide of Justin Johnson.”
“These incidents are tragic reminds of the culture of violence that pervades Baltimore. Life is precious and sacred but unfortunately there are those who have no regard for it,” Harrison said in a statement, blasting the “cowards responsible” for the shooting.
“No family should have to endure this type of heartache over the holidays, so please keep Officer Holley’s family and the entire community in your prayers.”
State Attorney for Baltimore Marilyn Mosby pledged to prosecute the suspects “to the fullest extent of the law.”
“We will have zero tolerance for those who seek to use violence and murder to settle their grievances. And the criminals that do will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she said, according to CNN.”
As officer Holley continues to fight and fight for her life, we vow to her, her family, her colleagues, this community that we will get justice on her behalf — for every victim that has been affected by these heinous acts of violence, we will get justice on their behalf.”
Holley, 39, was working an overtime shift in the Curtis Bay neighborhood when she was shot, according to the Baltimore Sun.
On Saturday, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Twitter expressed his support for the wounded Baltimore cop.
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