Police kill autistic man outside his new community home
What happened with Alex LaMorie of Maryland (US) on 1 March 2026?
Responding to a request for help on 1 March 2026 from a young man with autism who was having a mental health crisis, Howard Country Maryland (US) police officers shot and killed the man, Alex LaMorie, outside his community-based residential facility. Mr. LaMorie was 25 years old and, according to news reports, had moved into the facility in February 2026.
Writing for the Washington Post on 7 March 2026, Jasmine Golden reported that the morning before he died, Mr. LaMorie texted an inspiration quotation to his mother but then texted again later that he was having difficulties. Ms. Golden reported,
Hours later, his mother received a frightening phone call from her son. He told her he was in suicidal crisis and had called the police for a wellness check, part of a safety plan he had in place, [a family friend] said. His mother called a suicide hotline and was patched through to Howard County police, telling them he was autistic and at risk of harming himself.
Officers who responded to LaMorie’s call early on March 1 found him outside the apartment building holding a knife, police said. Two of the officers at the scene had undergone crisis intervention training for handling such incidents, Howard County police said. When LaMorie didn’t drop the knife after repeated commands, state officials said, three officers shot him as he approached them. He died at the scene.
The Howard County Police Department released a press release 1 March 2026 entitled “Police-involved fatal shooting in Columbia under investigation: The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division has assumed the investigation.” The press release included a description of the incident:
At approximately 12:09 a.m., police responded to a call for service at an apartment building in the 6400 block of Freetown Road for what was determined to be an adult male threatening to harm himself. At approximately 12:22 a.m., officers encountered the man outside the building. The man approached officers holding a knife and disregarded commands to drop the weapon. Officers then shot the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene after they attempted live-saving measures. No officers were injured.
Under the headline “An autistic man called police for a wellness check. He was fatally shot: Alex LaMorie, 25, had recently moved to a Maryland complex inclusive to people with disabilities, and was shot after police say he approached officers while holding a knife,” Ms. Golden reported that the officers who shot Mr. LaMorie were placed on leave from the department. Because of previous incidents, law enforcement agencies have provided training for police officers about how to handle individuals with disabilities; Ms. Golden reported that such training may emphasize employing tactical skills rather than promoting competence in de-escalation during confrontations.
Ms. Golden’s article also included detailed and sympathetic reporting about Mr. LaMorie’s family’s grief as well as Mr. LaMorie’s background. It is informative and considerate.
Other sources reported about this story, too.
In the Baltimore Sun of 3 and 5 March 2026, Bryna Zumer reported, “Man fatally shot by police near Columbia complex for adults with disabilities was ‘kind, loving, and enthusiastic’”;
For CBS Baltimore, Mike Hellgren reported on 3 March 2026: “Family seeks answers after ‘senseless and callous death’ of autistic man during encounter with Howard County Police”;
Writing for Patch 3 March 2026, Kristin Danley-Greiner reported, “Autistic Man Shot By Police Described As ‘Bright Light’ By Family: The family of Alex LaMorie, the man fatally shot by Howard County police officers Sunday, have spoken out about their loved one.”
For India Today on 11 March 2026, Ajmal Abbas reported, “25-year-old autistic US man calls 911 for wellness check, police shoot him dead: Alex LaMorie, a 25-year-old autistic man in Maryland, had called 911 during a suicidal crisis seeking a wellness check. He was shot dead by police.”