Baltimore County officers blocked the 4900 block of Hazelwood Avenue after late-night gunfire and took one man to a hospital.
ROSEDALE, MD — Baltimore County police said an officer-involved shooting late Saturday shut down part of Hazelwood Avenue near the Hazelwood Inn, where a man with a gun was confronted by officers outside a nearby convenience store. One man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries as detectives secured the scene and rerouted traffic.
Police said the response began after a report of shots fired around 9:15 p.m. in the 4900 block of Hazelwood Avenue, a commercial strip in the Overlea–Rosedale area east of Baltimore. The department described a heavy presence as patrol officers, detectives and command staff moved in to stabilize the scene and collect evidence. As of early Sunday, investigators had not released the man’s name, the names of the officers involved or who fired first. The block remained cordoned off for several hours while officers interviewed witnesses and canvassed for cameras around the Hazelwood Inn and neighboring storefronts.
Police provided a brief timeline late Saturday. After the initial shots-fired call, officers did not immediately find a suspect. About 10 minutes later, a second call directed units to a convenience store near the intersection, where officers encountered a man armed with a gun. Gunfire was exchanged, police said. “This is an active investigation,” the department said in a short statement overnight, noting that at least three officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard in police shootings. Medics took the wounded man to a trauma center; officials did not release his age, condition beyond “life-threatening,” or the type of firearm recovered at the scene.
From late evening into the overnight hours, crime scene tape closed the 4900 block as evidence technicians photographed shell casings and mapped bullet paths outside the Hazelwood Inn and a neighboring shop. Officers went door to door seeking security video from businesses that line Hazelwood Avenue, which includes restaurants, carryouts and small retailers. Neighbors described a surge of sirens, police SUVs and marked cruisers converging from multiple directions. Some residents said they were told to avoid the area and remain inside while officers checked the surrounding blocks. No officers were reported injured. Officials said it remains unknown exactly how many rounds were fired or how many officers discharged their weapons.
Saturday’s shooting comes amid heightened scrutiny of police use of force in the Baltimore region. In recent weeks, city police released body-worn camera footage from a separate January encounter in West Baltimore, and the state attorney general’s office identified officers in a fatal city shooting on Jan. 20. In Baltimore County, the attorney general’s Independent Investigations Division typically probes police shootings that result in death; when no death occurs, county homicide detectives conduct the inquiry and share findings with prosecutors. The county has previously released summaries and video in significant use-of-force cases, though the timing varies as investigators verify facts and notify those involved.
Investigators said they are working to determine what led to the initial shots-fired call, where exactly the first rounds were fired and whether the man pointed or fired the weapon before officers shot. Detectives planned to review nearby cameras, collect the involved officers’ body-worn camera footage and analyze ballistic evidence recovered at the scene. If the hospitalized man dies, the case would be referred to the state’s Independent Investigations Division. Otherwise, county detectives will continue the criminal and administrative reviews. Officials did not announce any arrests connected to the original gunfire report, and no charges had been filed as of early Sunday.
Outside the taped-off block, drivers detoured around Hazelwood Avenue as tow trucks and utility crews maneuvered past police vehicles and evidence vans. A few residents watched from porches and parking lots, taking phone videos as officers expanded the perimeter and escorted employees from nearby businesses to their cars. “It was like lights from every direction,” said Marcus Green, who lives off Radecke Avenue and returned home to find the street closed. “They told us to go around and stay clear while they figured out what happened,” Green said.
As of early Sunday, police had not released the man’s identity or an updated condition. Investigators were expected to provide another update later Sunday, Feb. 1, once preliminary interviews and evidence collection were complete.
Author note: Last updated February 1, 2026.