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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — An unarmed black man was fatally shot Thursday by officers who thought he had a weapon when they were called to a home from which he was barred by protective order, police said.
Spencer Lee McCain, 41, was shot about 1 a.m. at the condominium in Owings Mills while a woman who said he threatened to beat her were there with her two young children, Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said at a news conference.
Three officers were on the scene, and all fired as McCain was in a “defensive position,” Johnson said. He said the officers thought he had a weapon, but none was found.
Two of the officers are white, and one is black, police said. All are on administrative leave.
Police said the incident began when one of the children in the home called his grandmother, who called 911 and asked police to go there.
An officer who arrived heard screams and called for backup, Johnson said. He said 19 casings were found at the scene, but it wasn’t clear how many times McCain was hit.
Police said the woman had head injuries, cuts, bruises and swelling. Johnson said she told detectives that McCain said to her, “You’re going to get the beating you deserve.”
Sixteen to 20 domestic violence calls had been made to that home address since 2012, police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said.
