Reisterstown resident Samuel Brown, also known as Big Sam, died 10 days after a police use of force encounter in Woodlawn left him critically injured and on life support. Family members and friends of the 56-year-old are calling for justice, troubled that video footage from the incident has not been released.
Brown, a married father of six, died on Feb. 27 and was laid to rest in Baltimore on March 3, after an Islamic funeral service celebrated his life. His loved ones are vowing to continue their fight for answers about how a wellness check ended with his unexpected death.
The incident, which involved a Baltimore County police officer, was acknowledged in a press release from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office on Feb. 17. The AG’s office announced Brown’s death in a March 2 statement. Neither the officer nor the victim’s names were mentioned.
According to the AG’s independent investigations division, a Baltimore County police officer responded at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 16 to check on a man observed sitting in a vehicle for an extended period at Security Boulevard and Whitehead Court. The officer encountered the man, who exited the vehicle and approached the officer. A physical altercation occurred during which the officer used force. The man fell to the ground and suffered an apparent injury. Critically injured, Brown was taken to Sinai Hospital. The officer, who was wearing a body-worn camera, was not injured.
Conflicting details and a lack of information prompted Brown’s family, his longtime friend Roberto Silva, also known as D.J. Quicksilver, and the family’s attorney Billy Murphy, to hold a press conference on Feb. 27 in front of the Woodlawn Police Precinct. Addressing dozens of people who gathered, they questioned the circumstances that caused Brown to end up in a coma and die.
How does a wellness check end up as something that’s potentially death by force of a Baltimore County police officer?” asked Silva, who says he’s known Brown since 1996. The officer was identified in the police report as Derek Hadel.
Summarizing the police report, Murphy said the officer believed Brown approached him in a confrontational manner and put his hand out to distance the two. Brown brushed the officer’s arm away. The officer then chose to respond with an illegal action, Murphy said. During an altercation, the officer punched Brown in the face twice, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the asphalt. He could have backed away; he could have arrested Big Sam for touching him, since that is considered an assault even though it was not intended to cause injury; he could have tazed him; he could have pepper-sprayed him, Murphy said. But instead, [the officer] did none of these things, even though de-escalation is an important part of Baltimore County Police practice and officers are trained to de-escalate.
Brown’s family is seeking hospital records, which they believe will shed more light on the extent of his injuries. Brown sustained a fractured skull, broken nose and other broken bones. They were not notified until after Brown was in the hospital for 12 hours, family members say.
The AG’s office has not yet released footage of the incident, nor publicly shared the officer’s name. Under the Independent Investigative Division protocol, body-worn camera footage is generally released within 20 business days of an incident so investigators can first secure and evaluate all relevant evidence. Investigative steps may include collecting and analyzing physical evidence, interviewing witnesses, and obtaining additional video footage from the scene. Releasing footage prematurely can compromise the integrity of the investigation and any potential prosecution, the AG’s office says.
The Attorney General’s office asks that anyone with information about the incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at 410-576 7070 or IID@oag.maryland.gov.