COLUMBIA, Md. — Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown will not seek charges against three Howard County police officers who fatally shot Alexander LaMorie, a 25-year-old autistic man who had called 911 during a mental health crisis after reporting an online extortion scam.
The decision was announced July 7, 2026, after the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division completed its review of the March 1 shooting at Patuxent Commons, an apartment complex at 6441 Freetown Road in Columbia.
LaMorie had recently moved into Patuxent Commons, a housing community designed to support adults with disabilities. Local reports and family statements identified him as autistic. He was also a student at the University of Maryland Global Campus and had served on the advisory board for the Autism and Grief Project through the Hospice Foundation of America.
The officers involved were identified as Officer Cody Bostic, Officer Joel Rodriguez and Pfc. Joseph Riebau, all with the Howard County Police Department. Investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers committed a crime under Maryland law.
The incident began late Feb. 28, when LaMorie called 911 to report he was being harassed and blackmailed by someone he met through the instant messaging app Telegram. The report states the person initially claimed to be a 19-year-old woman before later claiming to be a 13-year-old child and demanding a $100 gift card.
The call shifted into a mental health response after officers spoke with LaMorie by phone and reported that he made suicidal statements. Officers planned to initiate a petition for an emergency evaluation before the encounter turned fatal.
When officers arrived at LaMorie’s third-floor apartment, they knocked, identified themselves and received no answer. The door was unlocked, and officers entered the apartment but did not find him inside.
As officers searched the building and began exiting, LaMorie approached from the parking lot with a knife in his hand, investigators wrote. Officers repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the knife.
The report states Riebau also tried to speak with LaMorie about the reported blackmail, telling him it was a common scam and asking him to drop the knife so they could talk. LaMorie told officers he did not want to live anymore and wanted to be free of his pain, according to the report.
As LaMorie continued toward officers, they backed toward the apartment complex entrance. One officer asked whether they had “less lethal,” while another warned, “we’re getting cornered,” immediately before Bostic, Rodriguez and Riebau fired their service weapons.
LaMorie was approximately 12 to 16 feet from the officers when they fired, according to the report. Multiple rounds struck him, and he fell to the ground. An officer-trainee at the scene did not fire.
Officers rendered medical aid until emergency medical services arrived. LaMorie was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:34 a.m. on March 1. A knife was recovered nearby.
The shooting was captured on Howard County police body-worn cameras and surveillance cameras from the apartment complex.
An autopsy found LaMorie died from multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death was classified as homicide, a medical classification that does not determine whether a crime occurred.
Maryland State Police crime scene technicians recovered 12 cartridge casings from the scene. Preliminary ballistics information indicated Bostic, Rodriguez and Riebau each fired multiple rounds.
The Attorney General’s report states investigators considered whether the officers violated Maryland’s use-of-force statute or committed homicide-related offenses. The division concluded it could not prove the officers used force that was unnecessary or disproportionate.
The report cited LaMorie being armed with a knife, failing to comply with repeated commands and continuing to advance as officers retreated. Investigators also concluded they could not disprove a self-defense claim beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Based on the evidence obtained in the IID’s investigation, the subject officers did not commit a crime,” the report concluded.
Family members and disability advocates have questioned whether LaMorie received the crisis response he needed. Andrew Stettner, executive director of the Autism Society, told local media, “He called for help. He should have left that night alive and getting assistance.”
The Independent Investigations Division’s review focused only on possible criminal liability involving the officers. The report does not address civil liability or any internal administrative review by the Howard County Police Department.
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