A woman was killed in what authorities say was a standoff with Baltimore County police on Monday in Randallstown. Police said Korryn Gaines’ five-year-old son was also injured in the shooting.
The incident began around 9:40 a.m. Monday, when police went to Gaines’ home to serve arrest warrants. Police knocked on the door, but no one answered. They then obtained a key from the landlord and entered the home. According to police, Gaines was pointing a long gun at them when the officers entered. Police ran and called for backup, while Gaines’ boyfriend ran from the apartment with a 1-year-old child, only to be arrested.
The apartment was then evacuated, leading to a standoff between officers in the hall and Gaines in the apartment. The officers and Gaines negotiated via phone and by yelling across the room. Her parents were involved in the negotiations, police said. Around 3 p.m., the situation came to a head when Gaines said “If you don’t leave, I’m going to kill you,” and pointed her weapon at the officers. Police said one of the officers fired his weapon, and Gaines then fired two shots. Gaines was killed in the shooting, and her son was injured.
Police said they do not know whether the boy was injured by a bullet that came from Gaines’ gun or the officer’s gun. No officers were wearing body cameras during the incident.
Gaines was being served with a warrant for “failure to appear” in court. She was pulled over March 10 because her car didn’t have a license plate. It only had a rectangular piece of cardboard with the following message:
“Any government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right to freedom.”
During the traffic stop, police said Gaines resisted arrest and threw citations she was issued out the window. She allegedly told officers they would have to “murder” her before she got out of the vehicle, according to police.
This reporting is from a very police affirmative perspective. I applaud that. The same story in Washington Post is super radicalized. It includes the number of black women who have been shot by police in 2016, references to Black Lives Matters, and screenshots of tweets of people who sympathize with Gaines use of her five year old as a human shield. Sadly, we live in an era where criminals have been emboldened by BLM and the media. Instead of being arrested gracefully, criminals are challenging the police to show downs where they lose, then they and their families get the spotlight for a few minutes, police are made to be villains, and the family of the slain gets paid. Thanks Michael Brown, thanks Freddy Gray, thanks Eric Garner, thanks Sandra Bland, thanks Walter Scott, thanks BLM and the media. Great job one and all!