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Rogelio Sánchez Gomez

Age : 44

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/17/2023

Location : Andrews AFB, Suitland Road and Allentown Road

City : Morningside

County : Prince George

State : Maryland

Agency : Morningside Police Department

Officer(s) :Stephen Huddleston

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Third party motorist killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/13/2023, at approximately 1:40 p.m., Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications received a 911 call from a motorist reporting that a black BMW was following the caller and that someone in the BMW was firing shots. Several minutes later, Morningside Police Department Officer Stephen Huddleston located a black BMW traveling on Suitland Road near the location provided by the caller.
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Huddleston began pursuing the BMW, driven by Dashawn Redding, along Suitland Road. The pursuit occurred despite reporting that the Morningside Police Department had a no-chase policy.
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As the BMW approached Suitland Road and Allentown Road, Redding lost control and struck a silver Ford Taurus that was in a northbound turning lane on Allentown Road. The Taurus was driven by 44-year-old Rogelio Sánchez Gomez, who was traveling with two juvenile passengers.
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The collision critically injured Sánchez Gomez and injured both children. Redding left the BMW and ran from the crash scene before police apprehended him. Investigators recovered a loaded handgun from the BMW.
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Investigators subsequently determined that the BMW was traveling approximately 91 mph five seconds before impact. Huddleston arrived at the collision approximately six seconds after the crash.
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Sánchez Gomez was transported to a hospital in Washington, D.C., with life-threatening injuries. He died from his injuries on 08/15/2023. The two juvenile passengers were treated for minor injuries and released.
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Because Huddleston's pursuit preceded the fatal collision, the Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division investigated the circumstances leading to Sánchez Gomez's death. The IID submitted an interim investigative report in September 2023 and a supplemental report after receiving the autopsy and final crash investigation. On 06/07/2024, the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office informed the IID that it would not prosecute the case.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Stephen Huddleston was 30 years old at the time of the fatal pursuit and had joined the Morningside Police Department in June 2022, approximately 14 months before Sánchez Gomez was killed. Department records identify his badge/ID number as 0253.
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The Maryland Attorney General's investigation specifically examined Huddleston's actions and Morningside Police Department pursuit policies. Body-camera footage from the incident was subsequently publicly released. The police cruiser Huddleston was operating did not have a dashboard camera.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/man-injured-in-crash-with-shooting-suspect-near-joint-base-andrews-has-died/3406718/
https://oag.maryland.gov/News/Documents/2024/062424.pdf
https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/IID/Reports/062424_IID_Report.pdf
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/police-release-body-cam-footage-from-fatal-pursuit-in-morningside
https://www.wmar2news.com/local/body-cam-footage-shows-aftermath-of-deadly-police-pursuit-in-pg-county
https://thebaynet.com/investigative-reports-released-for-august-2023-fatal-pursuit-in-prince-georges-county/