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Medical Examiner Rules Samuel Brown’s Death a Homicide in Baltimore County Police Encounter

An independent state probe continues, with any charging decision pending.

Overview

  • The Medical Examiner has not determined a medical cause of death even as the manner was classified as homicide.
  • The encounter began around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 16 in Woodlawn during a welfare check for a driver reportedly asleep at the wheel.
  • Body-camera video shows Officer Derek Hadel pushing Brown and then throwing punches before Brown fell and struck his head.
  • Brown, 56, died on Feb. 27; the Attorney General’s office released about eight minutes of body-worn camera footage on March 4 after family pressure.
  • Hadel, a nine-year Baltimore County police veteran, is on administrative leave as the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division reviews, and Brown’s family is seeking his firing, criminal charges and civil action.