Maryland police killed 21 people in 2025: What We Know

Maryland’s Independent Investigations Division investigated 21 police-involved deaths in 2025, according to the agency’s fourth annual report released Tuesday.

What’s Happening: The IID, created in 2021 to independently investigate deaths involving state and local police officers, handled 21 cases last year—consistent with prior years. The division released 24 investigative reports in 2025, including 14 from 2024 investigations and 10 from 2025 cases.

What’s Important:

• 13 of the 21 deaths involved shootings, six involved vehicle collisions, and 2 were in-custody deaths

• The IID secured one indictment in 2025—an Anne Arundel County officer charged with manslaughter by motor vehicle, fleeing a fatal accident scene, and misconduct in office following a fatal vehicle pursuit

• Mental health crises played a role in roughly 23% of all IID cases since 2021, representing 40% of fatal shootings investigated

The Numbers: Since the IID began investigating cases in October 2021, it has handled 86 fatal incidents: 45 fatal shootings, 30 fatal vehicle collisions, 10 in-custody fatalities, and 1 use of force fatality.

What Changed: In 19 of 31 vehicle-involved deaths since 2021, the person killed was not the driver of the fleeing vehicle. Eleven were passengers in fleeing or uninvolved vehicles, six were drivers of uninvolved vehicles that were struck, and two were pedestrians.

The Pursuit Problem: Attorney General Anthony Brown renewed his call for policy changes on vehicle pursuits, stating that minor and non-violent offenses continue to justify too many pursuits that result in deaths—often of innocent bystanders. Brown wrote that no innocent person’s life should be placed at risk to apprehend a driver for a minor violation.

Mental Health Context: The report notes that while nearly one-fourth of people killed in officer-involved deaths were in behavioral health crises, these outcomes represent only a small portion of thousands of mental health encounters officers successfully resolve each year. Preliminary data shows Baltimore County police made 1,268 mental health referrals between July 2023 and May 2024, while Montgomery County CIT officers responded to 1,411 behavioral health calls between August 2024 and May 2025.

The Demographics: Black individuals represented more than two-thirds of those killed in 2025, though Black residents make up approximately one-third of Maryland’s population. The majority of those killed were between ages 20 and 40. The youngest person killed was a 3-year-old passenger struck at an intersection by a vehicle fleeing police.

The Process: The IID’s average response time from notification to arrival on scene was one hour and 26 minutes for the 19 cases where investigators physically responded. The division works with Maryland State Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to collect evidence, conduct autopsies, and determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

What’s Next: The IID has authority to prosecute officers when investigations provide sufficient grounds. Since October 2023, when the division gained prosecutorial authority, it has pursued criminal charges in two cases. One case involving two Anne Arundel County officers was dismissed before trial in September 2025. The other case remains active.