Grieving family members told WJZ Investigates they are “deeply saddened and shocked” over the death of 25-year-old Alexander LaMorie, an autistic man killed during an encounter with Howard County police outside his apartment complex early Sunday morning.
The family said the death occurred after LaMorie called for a “wellness check.”
The apartments, Patuxent Commons, are part of a multi-million-dollar project to provide safe and affordable housing for adults with disabilities and senior citizens.
“We struggle to understand the circumstances surrounding his senseless and callous death,” LaMorie’s family said in a statement. “The family appreciates your kind thoughts, prayers and requests your compassion, understanding and privacy as we come to terms with this profound and tragic event.”
Remembering Alex
LaMorie was one of the first selected to live in Patuxent Commons as part of a lottery when it opened late last year, according to his family.
Loved ones shared a photograph of him smiling at the ribbon cutting for the building, developed by the Autism Society of Maryland.
“Alex was a kind, loving, and enthusiastic person, and a bright light in the community,” his family said. “While Alex faced challenges related to his autism, he was able to function with it in his daily life and refused to be hampered by it.”
He has shared his story dealing with grief and autism online in videos with his mother, Dr. Jill Harrington, a prominent author and grief counselor with decades of experience.
The LaMorie family told WJZ he had already earned an associate’s degree and was a student at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
“He was excited to be a part of the Patuxent Commons Community, which is full of caring and support for people with autism,” the family said.
LaMorie answered questions in an article posted by Autism Speaks as part of his work with the non-profit Autism and Grief Project with the Hospice Foundation of America, where he was an advisory board member.
“I believe I was diagnosed properly with autism at the age of 13. It was implied that I had autism when I was a child, but an official diagnosis was not reached until the age of 13. In middle school I had a severe mental health crisis when my autism manifested, and I had to go to the hospital once and then again when I sort of relapsed,” LaMorie wrote. “Then doctors and everyone else finally figured out what was happening, what I needed, the treatment, all of that. Those hospital stays are mostly a blur now, but in hindsight, they were extremely helpful. Those visits helped make me who I am today.”
LaMorie’s family said he gave presentations on panels at the San Diego Comic Con and before the Association for Death Education and Counseling, where he offered help and advocacy for those experiencing grief and loss. Like many others with autism, he was dedicated and involved with keeping himself healthy and stable. If the circumstances required, he had a safety plan and knew to call others for help.”
Calling 911
The incident began at 12:09 a.m. Sunday.
The Maryland Attorney General’s office said Howard County Police received a 911 call from a man who threatened to harm himself.
In dispatch audio, a first responder said, “We were speaking with a caller on the phone. He began making suicidal statements.”
Police could not find the man when they arrived.
“Can we get another couple units over here to start making checks for this guy?” police asked on dispatch audio. “He’s not in his apartment.”
As the officers exited the apartment building, they said the man, now identified as LaMorie, was in the parking lot walking toward them with a knife in one hand.
They said they told him to drop that knife several times, but he refused.
That is when three officers opened fire, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID), which investigates all fatal incidents involving law enforcement.
The Independent Investigations Division identified the officers who fired their weapons as Officer Joel Rodriguez, a 2-year veteran, Officer Cody Bostic, a 6-year veteran, and PFC Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran.
Authorities said the Howard County officers are all assigned to the Field Operations Command.
Howard County police declined comment on the incident, but their website notes, “HCPD has a robust program to train officers in mental health situations and to offer resources and services for the public. Police officers are often the first people to make contact with someone in a mental health crisis.”
Captured on video
A witness told WJZ Investigates he heard six shots and did not see that LaMorie was armed.
Several other neighbors shared photographs of the scene as they peered out of their windows.
LaMorie was shot near the rear entrance to the apartment building.
The IID said there is police body-worn camera video of the incident, and the Maryland Attorney General’s office has up to 20 business days to release it.
LaMorie’s loved ones said the incident is “very difficult for us, as a family, to understand.”
They added, “Alex was raised by a loving and caring mom and grew up in a military-veteran family. He was the great grandson of a retired New York City policeman and grandson of a New York City firefighter. Alex was known and loved by many in the grief, disability, and military-veteran community. He was the light of his doting big sister’s eyes and the best friend to his step-father, siblings, uncles, cousins, and many others. His family and friends are utterly heartbroken.”
The IID has asked anyone with information about the incident “including cell phone or private surveillance video” contact them at (410) 576-7070 or IID@oag.maryland.gov.