Officer Killed by 'Friendly Fire' in Baltimore

An early morning melee at a downtown Baltimore nightclub has left two people dead, including another Baltimore police officer, but this time the officer’s death was at the hands of one of his own.

A phalanx of police vehicles raced to the Select Lounge nightclub on North Paca Street in the wee hours of Sunday, Jan. 9 in response to a disturbance near the club. According to police, a plainclothes officer who attempted to break up a fight between several women was attacked by a group of men when he pulled his gun to defend himself, and that’s when several shots were fired.

“Officers from throughout the downtown responded to help disburse the crowd and break up some of the fights. During the course of that effort, there was an altercation that took place very near the club, and some officers worked to intercede in that fight, at which time some gunshots were discharged,” said Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld III during a press conference held in front of University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where the victims were treated.

“Several officers fired multiple shots," Bealefeld said, "and, as a result of that, one of our officers – an eight-year veteran 33-year old male – was shot and killed.”

On Monday, police confirmed William H. Torbit was the officer killed.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Torbit, a narcotics officer, was on duty and called to the nightclub when a “Signal 13,” code for an officer in distress, was put out by dispatchers.

Police identified four other officers who were involved at the scene: Harry Dodge, 37, an 11-year veteran of the force; Harry Pawley, 40, a 17-year veteran; Tovia Williams, 36, a 13-year veteran, and Latora Craig, 30, a nine-year veteran. All four officers have been put on routine administrative leave with pay pending the result of the investigation.

Commissioner Bealefeld said 41 rounds were discharged by officers, including Torbit, at the scene. No other guns were fired according to police.

A second officer was shot in the foot; four civilians, including three women, were also shot, and one male, 22-year-old Sean Gamble, was killed.

Gamble’s stepsister, Kelsey Tucker, told WBAL-TV, Baltimore’s NBC affiliate she was with Gamble at the Select Lounge, where he and Torbit were killed.

Tucker said she, Gamble and two others were leaving the club when a plain clothes officer – who police believe may have been Torbit – started yelling at Gamble, who yelled back.

“He pushed Sean; there was some sort of altercation, then within seconds, bullets just fired,” Tucker said.

Then, according to Tucker, uniformed officers just started shooting.

“There was no warning,” she said. “No 'freeze.’ I don’t understand why they didn’t use Tasers, nightsticks and mace.”

Tucker says her stepbrother worked full-time, played semi-pro football for the Baltimore Saints and the Anne Arundel Admirals, has a two-year old son and was engaged to be married in March. She says her family is determined to find out why her stepbrother – who she says was not armed and did not own a gun – was killed.

“I don’t know what the police department thinks. I don’t know if they think this will just fly by, and they’ll say it was a bunch of people with guns,” she said. “It doesn’t work like that.”

The other civilian victims have not yet been identified.

It was just this past October when Baltimore police grappled with the killing of one of their own when off-duty detective Brian Stevenson was killed on the eve of his 38th birthday, struck in the head during an argument over a parking space in the neighborhood of Canton.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the shooting “raises a .....