On a summer evening in Baltimore, Maryland, the life of 36-year-old Police Officer Brian Donte Winder was tragically cut short. On July 3, 2004, Officer Winder responded to a call for service and was fatally shot by two assailants. One of the men involved in the deadly encounter was an individual Winder had arrested just days earlier for selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs.
The events unfolded when Officer Winder, a 10-year veteran of the Baltimore City Police Department, responded to a 911
call. Upon his arrival, he was warned that one of the individuals he was to encounter might be armed. Winder spotted two men who matched the description given and called out to them. Both men then fled into a nearby liquor store on Edmondson Avenue.
A confrontation ensued, and Officer Winder was shot. He was struck by three bullets, with one tragically finding its way just above his protective vest. Despite being rushed to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, he succumbed to his injuries. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, one of the suspects was apprehended by responding officers after they exchanged fire with him. The second suspect managed to escape the scene.
A manhunt for the escaped suspect concluded on the morning of July 7, 2004. Investigators tracked him to a Baltimore motel. As members of the Baltimore Police Department's Quick Response Team made entry into his room, the suspect took his own life. Officer Winder, a U.S. Army veteran, was survived by his wife, two sons, and a stepdaughter. His death was a profound loss to his family, colleagues, and the community he served.
