Florida

Army Veteran, Ex-Marine Killed in Maryland Shopping Center Shooting

The two sheriff's deputies who died Wednesday after a shooting in a crowded shopping center in Abingdon, Maryland, were longtime police officers who served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, police say.

Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon were shot and killed by David Evans, who opened fire at lunchtime in a Panera Bread restaurant and then in an shootout outside, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said Thursday afternoon.

Dailey was 52 and Logsdon was 43, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Dailey served in the Marines and was a 30-year veteran of the police department, Gahler said. He is survived by two sons, his girlfriend and his mother. 

Logsdon had been on the force for 16 years and served in the Army, the sheriff said. Records show he served in Iraq. He is survived by three children, his wife and his parents. He was an avid golfer who had planned multiple golf tournaments for charity.

The loss of the deputies is "absolutely devastating," Gahler said. Both men served on the agency's honor guard and were proud to wear the uniform.

David Evans, who had warrants for his arrest, fatally shot Dailey in the Panera and then shot Logsdon before he was killed himself.

Dailey went to the Panera on Wednesday looking for David Evans, 68, and had just begun speaking with him, when Evans pulled out a gun and shot him in the head, Gahler said.

Evans fled and Logsdon approached the car where he was spotted. Shots came from the car, striking Logsdon, Gahler said. It appears that Logsdon returned fire and other deputies opened fire, killing Evans.

Evans legally purchased the gun in Pennsylvania in 1993, Gahler said.

The police chief said he didn't think Evans had been targeting law enforcement officers, but instead he fired because he faced arrest.

Elizabeth Rupp, 67, of Aberdeen, told The Washington Post the incident began about 10:30 a.m. when she went to the Panera and spotted Evans, who was her ex-husband.

Rupp left the restaurant and contacted the sheriff's office about her concern that her family might be in danger, telling a dispatcher she believed Evans was unstable and that he was responsible for a 1998 shooting after which she found a bullet in the hood of her coat. The shooting was reported to police at the time, but Rupp said she hadn't seen the shooter, and no one was charged. She and Evans divorced in 1989.

Dailey was dispatched to the restaurant in response to her complaint.

"These officers were courageous and they bought my family's safety," Rupp told the Post. "I am thankful they are dedicated to what they do. I will pray for these officers every day. I feel horrible."

Evans' son said his father was a heavy drinker with emotional problems, but never spoke poorly of police.

Jeremy Evans told NBC affiliate WBAL he believed his father thought he would spend the rest of his life behind bars and decided to get away.

Evans had warrants out for his arrest in Harford County and Orange County, Florida, where he was accused of assaulting a police officer.

Gov. Larry Hogan ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the officers.

Sophia Faulkner, 15, said she and her mother were getting lunch and almost sat right next to the gunman. Instead, they chose a booth about 10 feet away because the man appeared "sketchy'' and disheveled. The teenager said she saw the shooting.

"I saw him fall back out of his chair, and the blood started coming out,'' Faulkner said. "I didn't know how to process it. My mom said, 'What's going on?' and I said, 'Get down. Someone just got shot.'''

The shooter fled and "everyone started screaming,'' Faulkner said. Children at the restaurant -- out of school because of snowfall -- were running around.

Her mother, Lynn Faulkner, a registered nurse, said she recognized the man and believed he needed help.

One of the deputies was treated at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Video showed an ambulance and a sheriff's car escorted by police on motorcycles leaving, apparently taking the body to the nearby state medical examiner's office. Police lined each side of the street and saluted when the vehicles drove by.

The sheriff said investigators believe Evans acted alone.

The shopping center is called the Boulevard at Box Hill. It has a mix of shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank.

Panera spokeswoman Amanda Cardosi said the company is heartbroken.

"Our thoughts and actions now are directed towards the victims and their families. This location will remain closed as we work with law enforcement to investigate,'' she said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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