Baltimore Cop Charged With Murder After Standoff

The victim was shot in front of other officers

An off-duty Baltimore police officer gave himself up late Tuesday after barricading himself in a home with a toddler in a six-hour standoff that began when he fatally shot a woman, authorities said.

Officer James Smith, a 20-year veteran and member of the motorcycle unit, was taken into custody before 9:30 p.m. and was charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday morning, among other charges, according to court records. Police had evacuated residents in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood from their homes during the incident.

The woman, who was not identified, lay wounded in the street for nearly an hour after she was shot in front of Western District officers who police confirmed had been called to the home. But because of the barricade and fears that Smith might fire into the street, police and medical personnel were unable to take her to a hospital immediately.