BALTIMORE _ Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison on Thursday said more "investigative steps" are needed into detective Sean Suiter's 2017 shooting death, saying the case remains open a week after pronouncing it closed.
"I should have chosen a better word last week when I said the investigation into the death of Detective Sean Suiter was 'closed,'" Harrison said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. "There are still investigative steps that need to be taken and the case is continuing. The medical examiner will ultimately make the final determination regarding Detective Suiter's cause of death."
Harrison's clarification comes after sharp rebuttal by Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby and the police union, which said there was no basis to close the probe.
Harrison said last week that Suiter died as a result of a suicide, basing his conclusion on a Maryland State Police report he received that supported the work done earlier by an independent review board. The state police review has not been made public, but Harrison said it backed the review's conclusion that Suiter committed suicide.
After Harrison's comments, Mosby said the case was open and pending, but declined to comment further.
The president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 also contradicted Harrison and said that police department detectives are investigating Suiter's death.
It's unclear whether the medical examiner's office will change the cause of death from homicide. A spokesman from the office previously said he could not comment on any potential changes to the finding because of the state's attorney's office investigation.
Suiter was shot in the head in November 2017 in a vacant lot in West Baltimore while investigating a homicide. The investigation prompted police to cordon off a section of the neighborhood for days, and its response was criticized by locals and by monitors overseeing a federal consent decree.
Suiter's family and attorney have criticized the independent review, saying it was not the thorough investigation promised to them.
Suiter's wife, Nicole, said investigators have not talked to her about husband's state of mind, and she does not believe he killed himself.
Harrison briefly spoke about the case Thursday afternoon during an interview with Tom Hall, host of WYPR's midday radio show, where he said there are "a few action items that are underway," but he did not elaborate.
He said no cases are "technically closed until a final ruling" from the medical examiner's office. Ultimately, he said the decision rests with the medical examiner's office to determine if Suiter's death was a homicide or suicide.
"We will take this wherever it leads," he said.
