A 44-year-old Baltimore man has been charged with attempted murder after an off-duty Baltimore police officer was grazed by a bullet during a shooting in the city’s Clifton Park neighborhood, authorities said.
The suspect, Christopher Leigh, was arrested in connection with the July 11 shooting in the 2100 block of Sinclair Lane, where officers responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 8:32 p.m. Upon arrival, they found a 29-year-old off-duty Baltimore Police officer suffering from an apparent graze wound to the arm. The officer was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Baltimore Police, the off-duty officer did not discharge his weapon during the incident and, because he was not involved in a police use-of-force event, will not be placed on administrative leave. Investigators have not publicly identified the officer.
Detectives from the Baltimore Police Homicide Unit responded to the scene and assumed control of the investigation. Authorities identified Christopher Leigh as the suspected gunman and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
On Sunday, police located and arrested Leigh without incident. He was transported to the Central Booking Intake Facility, where he was formally charged with attempted first-degree murder, along with other firearm-related and assault charges stemming from the shooting. Authorities have not yet released the full list of charges.
Investigators have not disclosed what led to the shooting or whether the off-duty officer and the suspect knew each other. Police also have not said whether the officer was specifically targeted or happened to be at the location when the gunfire erupted.
The shooting remains under active investigation. Detectives are reviewing evidence collected from the scene, including witness statements and any available surveillance footage, to determine the sequence of events that led to the officer being injured.
