Monday morning was quiet in Harlem Park. The park was closed by Baltimore Police as a crime scene during the search for the suspect who killed Detective Sean Suiter on Wednesday on the city’s west side.
The only clear signs of Baltimore Police presence in the community Monday morning were two police cruisers and one homicide unit vehicle. One cruiser sat near the open lot where, according to police, someone fatally shot Suiter.
Police said that on Sunday they planned to release the crime scene in the neighborhood after testing the tolerance of some inhabitants over the course of the investigation.
West Baltimore Residents Have to Show ID
Some inhabitants have said they police required them to show identification to get past the police tape to enter their homes.
On Sunday Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said on Twitter “Please know this crime scene preservation has been necessary. We will finish our comprehensive examination of the scene in the morning.”
Police had maintained a perimeter in the neighborhood in hopes of gathering tips and preserving evidence since the payment for information on Suiter’s killer has climbed. They have made no arrests.
Police say Suiter, 43, was examining a triple homicide in the 900 block of Bennett Place on Wednesday afternoon. Then, he saw someone acting shadily in a vacant lot and approached. The married father of five was shot once in the head. He was pronounced dead on Thursday.
The Police Department thanked neighborhood inhabitants for their patience and comprehension during the long investigation.
The department said in a statement “We appreciate the support and sensitivity from our community during this difficult time. Our efforts to identify and arrest the perpetrator rely on the thoroughness of our investigation and our capacity to recover forensic, physical and other evidence.”
Suiter’s daughter set up an online GoFundMe fundraiser on Sunday to collect donations to the family. It raised more than $11,000 by Sunday evening.
