Baltimore County police fatally shot an unarmed black man after they were called to an Owings Mill, Md., home while responding to a domestic dispute.
According to the Associated Press, Spencer Lee McCain, 41, was in a "defensive stance" when he was shot by police around 1 a.m. on Thursday, according to the police. Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said at a news conference that the three officers who responded to the call all fired at Spencer because they believed he had a weapon. No weapon was found at the scene.
Johnson said that although police found 19 casings at the scene, it was unclear how many times McCain had been hit, AP reports.
According to AP, a woman living at the residence with her two children had already taken out a protective order against Spencer and claimed to police that he had threatened to beat her on several occasions.
Johnson said that once the first officer arrived on the scene, he heard screams coming from the woman's apartment and called for backup, AP reports.
After Spencer's fatal encounter with police, the woman, who is reported to have had several cuts, bruises and swelling, claimed to investigators that Spencer told her, "You're going to get the beating you deserve," according to the news report.
AP reports that since 2012, some "16 to 20 domestic violence calls had been made to that home address."
Johnson added that all three officers—two white, one black—have been placed on administrative leave.
Read more at the Huffington Post.