Reports of a police-involved shooting emerged in Bel Air, Maryland on August 15, Saturday. WBEL-Air TV News, a local page, shared a map of the area.
What happened in Bel Air, Maryland?
The Bel Air Police Department confirmed there was an ‘incident’ at Franklin Street. “We are actively working an incident on Franklin Street. The scene is stabilized and there’s no immediate threat to the community. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” they wrote on Facebook.
However, an officer-invovled shooting has not been confirmed by local authorities yet.
{{/usCountry}}However, an officer-invovled shooting has not been confirmed by local authorities yet.
{{/usCountry}}At present, the situation is developing and there's no information on what led to the possible shooting, or any information on the suspects.
Bel Air shooting reports spark fears
The incident sparked fears among locals. One said “I just heard on the scanner they called for trooper 1 to land at Bel Air High School for a gunshot wound on Franklin St.”
Another wrote “It happened by the Ma & Pa trail near the apartments.” Yet another said “Low flying helicopter near BAHS, looked like a medevac,” while one added “Police everywhere! Landing a helicopter at bel air high school.”
A local also shared their experience saying “We just passed several cops flying down the road a bit ago.” Yet another added “Helicopter just flew over our house in bel air road in Perry hall. Came from bel air high school and looks to be heading to shock trauma.”
One person noted they thought the sound of alleged gunfire was fireworks. Meanwhile, another added “I heard 2 shots about 10 min ago. And another shot about 1 min ago.” Yet another said “Heard bangs near giraffe playground but assumed fireworks. Praying for the child.”
A person also shared a video showing massive police presence there.
One claimed “Live right down the street .. we were told someone shot someone 3 times and then ran off. Cops everywhere! Not a 100% sure though what actually happened,” while another wrote “Saw on another post 4 year old shot in the back.” However, this information could not be independently verified.
Amid the news of the shooting, some people showed their support for cops responding to the scene. “Thank you for the work you do. Stay safe,” one person wrote.
While many claimed to see heavy police activity in the area, a scanner report screenshot was also shared of a medevac helicopter being requested.
However, the report noted that it was a ‘medical emergency’ and did not mention a shooting.