Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – A long-awaited report into a deadly police involved shooting in Silver Spring is out, and not everyone’s satisfied.

“I am deeply disturbed after reading MCPD Chief Manger’s report into the police-involved death of Silver Spring resident Robert White,” Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando Tweeted Wednesday morning.

In the report, now retired police chief Tom Manger wrote officer Anand Badgujar said he saw Robert White when he was driving near Three Oaks Drive on June 11, 2018. His hoodie was ripped, and White was staring at his police car.

Badgujar’s attorney said as White was walking he thrust his hand into his jacket pocket and walked more quickly, looking over his shoulder at the officer.

Manger wrote in the report that White’s movements and behavior gave the officer a “reasonable justification” to stop him because they made the officer believe White was armed.

“I think the issue of racial profiling was not addressed. Why did he stop Mr. White? You know, and so I think that’s another serious issue with the report. Was it a legal stop?” Jawando asked.

Jawando told WMAL it’s not an odd thing for a black person to see a police car and be suspicious and anxious. As a black man, he said he can speak to this from personal experience.

At one point in the video as Badgujar was walking after White, he radioed and said he thought it could be a suicide by cop situation. This is a situation where a suicidal person deliberately provokes a police officer to get killed.

If Badgujar felt White could have been mentally unstable, Jawando believes he should have called the MCP Crisis Intervention Team, which works with the county’s department of health and human services to recognize and address signs of mental illness.

The officer originally planned to do a stop and frisk but after following White, body camera video shows White lunged at him. That’s when Badgujar shot him multiple times.

After the first shot was fired, White can be heard telling Badgujar, “Do it. Do it again.”

Manger wrote, “There is ample evidence that Officer Badgujar was in danger of serious bodily harm which would lawfully justify his use of deadly force.”

Jawando doesn’t dispute that Badgujar was justified in using force when White came at him.

“But my point is, we didn’t have to get to that point, and so that’s one of the main reasons why I’m disturbed by the way this report was approached and the decision that was made not to take any administrative action,” Jawando said.

He believes the lack of administrative action – which could mean a suspension or increased training – basically says nothing was done wrong, and no action will be taken.

“And we’ve lost a life, and this could happen again under the same circumstances and it would be ok,” Jawando said.

Not only didn’t Badgujar not face administrative action like a suspension or increased training, Howard County prosecutors – who independently investigated the case – decided not to file criminal charges against him.

Jawando has already proposed the Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act, which would create a committee to oversee policing policy, but he said that’s not enough. He said they also need to look at policy policy and practices and involve residents so they can improve trust with the police department. He would also like to see more training to change how police approach situations like this one.

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