Statement From County Executive Marc Elrich on Montgomery County Police Officer Response in Aspen Hill Incident

“A very serious incident occurred today in Aspen Hill that resulted in four victims being stabbed and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) utilizing lethal force to prevent a knife-wielding suspect from harming more people, including officers. I want to thank the MCPD officers for their rapid response to the incidents and their dogged pursuit of the suspect. Their efforts very likely prevented further assaults and may well have saved lives.

As with any police-involved shooting, a thorough investigation will be conducted by the Maryland Attorney General’s office. It is essential that we uphold the principles of transparency and accountability in every case including this one. The Attorney General’s office will be responsible for determining when to release the names of those involved as well as any video associated with the incident. I encourage them to do so in a timely manner.

While we do not know the motive for this attack today, I continue to believe we need to do more to address the markedly increasing mental health crisis in our community. We need to find ways to avert these kinds of tragedies from occurring and not put our officers into the difficult and tragic position of determining when it is necessary to take a life. To that end, I will be working with our Department of Health and Human Services, MCPD, our community partners and the County Council to identify and expand crisis support services in Montgomery County.

But here, once again, an officer had to jeopardize his own safety in the course of protecting the public and it is a reminder that this is something that we expect of our police officers and all our first responders who bravely put their lives to keep the community safe. Finally, I wish for a full and rapid recovery for those who were injured. Everyone should be able to enjoy a weekend afternoon in Montgomery County without concern for such violence.”