City police are investigating the conduct of one of their own ? after the officer shot the husband of a woman he was dating.
“There are questions about some personal conduct that may have compromised his ability to do the job,” said Baltimore Police Department spokesman Sterling Clifford. “He?s being investigation for being off his post for personal reasons while on duty.”
Police say Officer Andre Robinson was on duty in his patrol car at 7:30 p.m. Saturday visiting a woman in the 3000 block of Dupont Avenue in West Baltimore when the woman?s husband, Derrick Cook, 39, approached the vehicle with a tire iron and began beating on the car.
Robinson confronted Cook, who continued acting aggressively, causing the officer to retreat, according to police.
When the officer told the Cook to “Drop the tire iron,” the man did not, and the Robinson fired his gun twice, according to police spokesman Agent Donny Moses said.
Cook was struck in the legs at close range, police said.
He was taken to Sinai Hospital for treatment for “non-life threatening injuries,” according to police.
It is unclear whether Robinson knew the woman he was dating was married to Cook, police said.
“Was he justified in using his weapon? It appears the use of force was justified,? Clifford said. “There is the separate issue of why he was where he was. Some of his personal life apparently came on the job with him.
The incident marked the 28th police-involved shooting this year, compared with 15 in all of 2006.
