Search fatalities

Jonny Ray Morris

Age : 66

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 06/08/2022

Location : Pookey Way and White House Road

City : Largo

County : Prince George's

State : Maryland

Agency : Prince George's County Police Department

Officer(s) :Corporal Antoinette Williams

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Bystander killed during pursuit initiated after Prince George's County Police Corporal Antoinette Williams observed two vehicles traveling together near Birdie Lane and Harry S. Truman Drive. Williams followed the vehicles and observed them accelerate and fail to completely stop at stop signs before activating her emergency lights and siren.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 06/08/2022, 66-year-old Jonny Ray Morris of Brandywine was killed when a vehicle fleeing Prince George's County Police crossed the double-yellow centerline on White House Road and struck his vehicle head-on near Pookey Way.
.
At approximately 6:25 a.m., Corporal Antoinette Williams observed two vehicles traveling together near Birdie Lane and Harry S. Truman Drive in Upper Marlboro. As Williams followed them, the vehicles accelerated and failed to completely stop at stop signs.
.
Williams activated her patrol vehicle's emergency lights and siren. Both vehicles accelerated eastbound on White House Road.
.
Approximately 13 seconds after Williams activated her emergency equipment, the lead vehicle crossed the solid double-yellow centerline into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with Morris's vehicle. Morris was not involved in the attempted traffic stop and was driving to work when he was struck.
.
Morris was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries at approximately 9:30 a.m. The other driver survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
.
The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division investigated the pursuit with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team. Investigators reviewed dashboard-camera footage, crash-scene evidence, the autopsy report, witness interviews, police reports, recordings, personnel records and department pursuit policies.
.
The Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office subsequently reviewed the investigation and notified the Independent Investigations Division on 02/10/2023 that it would not prosecute the case.
.
Morris was born in 1956 and grew up in Clay County, West Virginia. He graduated from Clay County High School in 1974 and moved to Maryland shortly afterward. He worked in sales for Posner Industries for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Terry, married in 1979 and had two daughters, Brandy Tagert and Jessica Hudson. He was 66 years old, not 57 as listed in the supplied preliminary report.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Prince George's County Police Corporal Antoinette Williams was a 10½-year department veteran assigned to the Bureau of Patrol at the time of the pursuit. The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division reviewed her conduct, training, personnel records and relevant department policies. The Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office subsequently declined prosecution.
.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://oag.maryland.gov/resources-info/Documents/pdfs/IID/22-011%20Final%20Report_Redacted.pdf
https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/06/police-1-dead-after-driver-fleeing-traffic-stop-crashes-in-prince-georges-co/
https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/06/video-shows-prince-georges-co-police-pursuit-that-ended-in-deadly-crash/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/jonny-morris-obituary?id=35321277