Teen Charged in Death of Baltimore County Officer; Remaining Three Teen Suspects Also in Custody

A 16-year-old has been arrested and charged as an adult in the death of a police officer on Monday, and three other suspects — all teenage males — are in custody.

Dawnta Anthony Harris, of the 1600 block of Vincent Court in the Gilmor Homes complex in West Baltimore, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Officer Amy Caprio, according to court records. He is being held without bail at an adult detention center.

Amy Caprio

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Caprio was a four-year veteran of the Baltimore County police force assigned to the Parkville precinct.

At his bail review, prosecutors said Harris had stolen four cars since December, and went missing from house arrest for car theft days before he allegedly killed Caprio.

The other three suspects were unlikely to have bail review hearings until Tuesday night, said Officer Jennifer Peach, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County police.

The documents say Caprio was responding to a call at about 2 p.m. Monday on Linwen Way to investigate a suspicious vehicle in the area. A 911 caller reported a black Jeep Wrangler near her home, and said three “suspicious subjects got out of it and were walking around homes.” The caller then said the suspects had broken into the home and the first arriving officer was on the ground after confronting the driver of the Jeep.

{snip} Harris was later interviewed at police headquarters, where he admitted to investigators that he was sitting in the driver seat while the three other suspects committed a burglary.

He told officers he saw Caprio drive up the block and that she got out of her car and demanded that he get out of the Jeep. Instead, he “drove at the officer,” the documents said.

The search for the remaining suspects, whom police considered armed and dangerous, extended into the evening and left nearly 2,000 students stranded in their schools until parents were allowed to pick them up at about 7:30 p.m.

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Detectives have verified that the group were involved in burglaries in the area, police said. Officers were reporting to the area Tuesday to canvass for property stolen during the burglaries.

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Dawnta Anthony Harris