UPDATE: Body-Worn Camera Footage Released; Independent Investigations Division Identify Those Involved in Fatal Police Pursuit in Talbot County
UPDATED 09/04/24: The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General today released the body-worn camera footage here from the fatal officer-involved vehicle pursuit that occurred on July 22nd in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland. The decedent was previously identified as 18-year-old Yemaya Wilson. The IID will generally release body-worn camera and dashboard camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. The release of body-worn camera footage in this incident was delayed to allow additional time to conduct witness interviews. The Independent Investigations Division continues to investigate the circumstances of the fatal pursuit.
UPDATED – 07/26/24 – The Maryland Attorney General’s office has identified the driver who died and the law-enforcement personnel involved in a vehicle pursuit on Monday in Easton. Officials with the Independent Investigations Division have identified the woman who died as 18 year old Yemaya Wilson of Washington, DC. Two passengers in her vehicle were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The involved Talbot County Sheriff’s Deputies have been identified as Deputy Brittanie DiMichele, a 10-year veteran with 11 total years of law enforcement experience, assigned to the K-9 Patrol Unit; Deputy William Barnett, a 2-year veteran with a total of 6 years of law enforcement experience, assigned to the Patrol Division; Deputy Owen Joseph, 8-months of service with the Sheriff’s Office, assigned to the Patrol Division; and Easton Police Department Officer, Nicholas Lange, a 3-year veteran, assigned to the K-9 Patrol Unit.
The investigation is continuing – and if you have information – contact the IID at 410-576-7070.
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UPDATE 7/25/24: The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is delaying the release of the names of the person who died in a crash and involved law enforcement officers in the vehicle pursuit on July 22nd in Easton, Maryland. The IID needs additional time to gather and review evidence to determine the involved law enforcement officers. The IID will identify the person who died when the names of the officers are released. The IID continues to investigate the circumstances of the fatal officer-involved vehicle pursuit.
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ORIGINAL STORY – 07/24/24: The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash following an attempted traffic stop and pursuit that occurred in Easton in Talbot County, Maryland, Monday evening. According to a preliminary investigation, on July 22nd, just after 7:00 pm, deputies from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, in marked police cruisers, encountered a car in the area of westbound Rt. 50 and Dutchmans Lane in Easton, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The deputies activated their emergency equipment signaling to the driver to stop. The driver of the car did not stop and continued to drive on Route 50. The deputies pursued the vehicle for several minutes. During the pursuit, officers from the Easton Police Department assisted the deputies. The pursuit ended several minutes later when the passenger car crashed into a tree on Black Dog Alley–leading to one fatality, and three others with serious injuries. The driver and one of the rear passengers were juvenile males. The two others in the car were adult women, one of whom was the front seat passenger who was pronounced dead at the hospital. The involved officers were equipped with body-worn cameras.
Additional Information from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office:
The IID, with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team, is investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.state.md.us.
The IID will generally release the name of the decedent and involved officers within two business days of the incident, although that period may be extended, if necessary, pursuant to IID protocol.
The IID will generally release body-worn camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days are necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
