The Office of the Attorney General announced it was a investigating the officer-involved fatal shooting in Essex from last week. Here is their full release.
The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, in Essex, Baltimore County, Maryland.
The preliminary investigation revealed that on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., officers with the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) responded to the 900 block of Holgate Drive after receiving a 911 call for a stabbing. Officers arrived and encountered a man armed with a knife. Officers gave verbal commands to the man.
At that point, multiple officers discharged their service weapons, striking the man. Officers provided medical aid until EMS arrived on the scene and transported him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A woman with an apparent stab wound was located in the apartment and transported to a local hospital for treatment. One officer, injured during the incident, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. A knife was recovered at the scene.
The decedent is identified as 31-year-old Howard Sye of Essex.
The involved BCPD officers are Officer Malia Hooper, 1 year of service; Officer Trent LaPosta, 1 year of service; Officer First Class Nicholas Vagnier, 2 years of service; and Officer Hunter Cortes, 2 years of service. All officers are assigned to the Operations Bureau.
The IID continues to investigate the circumstances of the fatal officer-involved shooting. Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.maryland.gov.
