On a December evening in Chestertown, Maryland, a domestic dispute set in motion a chain of events that would end in the death of 52-year-old James L. Rich II. The incident, which unfolded on December 28, 2016, concluded with a fatal exchange of gunfire between Rich and a Queen Anne's County sheriff's deputy. Rich was a Black male.
The situation began earlier that evening when deputies were called to Rich's Edmore Road residence for a domestic disturbance.
Rich's girlfriend had texted her father, asking him to call the police after a physical altercation. When Deputy First Class Warren Scott Hogan and another deputy arrived, both Rich and his girlfriend were gone, as her father had already picked her up and taken her to the sheriff's office.
Later that night, after midnight, Deputy Hogan accompanied the girlfriend and her parents back to the residence so she could retrieve her belongings. Rich and his teenage son were present at the home when they arrived. Another argument broke out between Rich and his girlfriend, escalating the tense situation. Rich went into a back room, retrieved a shotgun, and fired at Deputy Hogan, striking him at close range.
In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, both Rich and Deputy Hogan were shot. Rich was transported to Chester River Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Deputy Hogan was critically injured and taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. The Maryland State Police investigated the shooting at the request of the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office. Their investigation confirmed that Rich had fired first, and the incident was a direct result of the domestic violence call and the subsequent confrontation with law enforcement. No other suspects were identified, and no arrests were made in connection with the shooting.
