Baltimore, MD – Thursday — Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced Thursday that no charges will be filed against a courthouse special police officer involved in a fatal shooting earlier this year at the Baltimore City Eastside Courthouse.
The incident occurred on the morning of Friday, January 31, when Garry Wright Jr. entered the courthouse on North Avenue around 8:40 a.m. and pulled a handgun from his pocket, pointing it at his own head while near the entrance. Courthouse bailiffs ordered Wright to drop the weapon. As one bailiff drew his service weapon, Wright discharged his own firearm, inflicting a gunshot wound to his head.
The bailiff fired once, striking Wright in the leg. Courthouse personnel began administering medical aid until EMS arrived. Wright was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Wright’s death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) opened an investigation into the officer-involved shooting the same day. After completing its investigation and legal review on August 12, the Attorney General’s Office concluded that the special police officer’s use of force was legally justified and that no crime was committed under Maryland law.
The decision not to prosecute concludes the formal investigation into the incident. The full findings and legal analysis have been published in the IID’s declination report.
Key Points
- Attorney General Brown announced no charges will be filed in the January 31 courthouse shooting.
- Garry Wright Jr. fatally shot himself after pulling a gun inside the Eastside Courthouse; a bailiff also shot him in the leg.
- The incident was ruled a suicide, and the officer’s actions were deemed lawful under Maryland law.
A man’s tragic courthouse suicide prompted a shooting by security, but Maryland’s top prosecutor says the officer acted lawfully.