A Baltimore police officer is in critical condition after a gunman shot her multiple times while she was sitting in her patrol car, according to officials.
Officer Keona Holley was on duty early Thursday morning but not responding to a call. At around 1:30 a.m., Holley was sitting in her vehicle when someone walked up from the rear of the vehicle and fired multiple times into the driver’s seat, hitting Holley. Police say Holley apparently accelerated and crashed the police car. Holley remains in critical condition.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison gave a news conference Thursday morning without naming Holley. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) tweeted for people to “keep her in your prayers.”
“At some point a would-be shooter apparently walked up, somewhere from the rear of the vehicle or alongside of the vehicle, and began firing into the vehicle striking our officer,” Harrison said at the news conference, according to WTOP.
Harrison called the shooting “cowardly” and asked for the community’s help in identifying Holley’s attacker.
Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson released a statement regarding the attack, saying, “This assassination attempt on a police officer sitting simply in her patrol vehicle, a mother of four, represents a level of depravity that shakes us to our core
“This is beyond the pale of anything remotely conceivable in our city,” Ferguson added. “Simply put, things are broken and the trajectory we are on is totally unsustainable. It is time to hit reset.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott agreed that the attack was “cowardly.”
“As the commissioner said, this is a cowardly act. And we have a coward on the loose in Baltimore that we must and will find, and that we have to go after someone who was so cowardly, they didn’t have the decency to face this officer who’s in this neighborhood to protect,” Scott said, adding that Holley was “doing the things that so many people are afraid to do — put themselves at risk in order to protect other folks.”
Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby also condemned the attack.
“We all stand here, extremely angry. Angry for the police officer who was involved in this cowardly act. Angry for the men and women who stand next to her every single day to risk their lives to keep our city safe. Angry for her family. Violence is unacceptable. But when you see violence that leads to this type of violence, it hits us all,” he said.
On Facebook, the Baltimore Police Department asked for tips in the case. Multiple agencies are offering rewards for tips that lead to the arrest of the shooter.
“Metro Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $4,000 for a tip leading to an arrest and charges filed,” the BPD wrote.
In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is offering a $10,000 reward. The FBI and U.S. Marshal Service are each offering an additional $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest and conviction. The Baltimore City FOP is offering $25,000 on top of that, for a total reward potential of up to $59,000.
On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) tweeted that the state would match the reward offered by the other agencies combined, for a total of $118,000. Hogan also said the Maryland State Police would assist in the investigation.
The state will match this reward, bringing it to $118,000.
If you have any information, please call 1-866-756-2587. https://t.co/rJe5IG6zRX
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) December 16, 2021