Killer cop dead, three civilians wounded as uniformed officers open fire

The following article was taken from Liberation News (linked to on left, PSLweb.org)

As 2010 came to an end, the Baltimore Police Department celebrated the small decline in murder rates and overall crime in Baltimore. It was a seemingly progressive “step forward” in a city notorious for its high rate of drug- and gang-related crimes. But at the start of the new year, Sean “Loz” Gamble, a 22-year-old father, son, brother, fiancée and semi-pro football player ended up a victim of the largest, most well-organized armed gangs in the city—the Baltimore police.

On Jan. 8, Sean Gamble, his cousin Martin and a few other relatives went out for an evening of partying to celebrate Martin's birthday. Around 1:15 a.m. the next day, the group proceeded to leave the Select Lounge, a local nightclub, when Gamble found himself in an argument with plainclothes officer William Torbit. Witnesses say Torbit was aggressive towards an unknown woman outside the nightclub and that Gamble stepped in to deescalate the situation. Tension grew between the two men, while several others crowded around.

Shortly after, four uniformed officers, who had responded to a call, arrived on the scene with guns drawn. Officer Torbit revealed his weapon and fired at Gamble, who was unarmed, executing him in front of family members. In fact, Torbit was the only person involved in the confrontation with any sort of weapon.

But because Torbit was dressed in plainclothes, the uniformed officers did not recognize him as a cop, and unloaded a barrage of bullets into the mix of unarmed civilians and the one officer. Three were wounded and ironically, Torbit himself was riddled with 20 bullets.

As friends and relatives are left to mourn, as community leaders demand an investigation, and as the wounded heal from the assault, shooting officers Harry Dodge, Harry Pawley, Tovia Williams and Latora Craig have been placed on administrative leave with pay—a slap in the face to the Gamble family and to all who have suffered from the incident.

This incident is just one of an epidemic of police brutality and murder that is commonplace in predominantly Black and Latino working-class communities. The people united can have the strength to stand up to state thugs like the Baltimore Police Department and to hold them accountable. Justice for Sean Gamble and all victims of police brutality!