Three brothers accused of launching and recording an attack on a police station in Prince George’s County that left one officer dead planned to send video of the shooting to the popular entertainment website WorldstarHipHop in an attempt to gain notoriety, according to prosecutors.
The alleged intentions for the video were made public during a court hearing Wednesday, when police also identified Taylor Krauss, who has been with the police department for nearly six years, as the officer behind the friendly-fire shot that killed Detective Jacai Colson, 28.
A judge ruled that there is probable cause to continue to hold Michael, Malik and Elijah Ford on second-degree murder charges until a grand jury considers possible indictments.
The hearing came exactly one month after Michael Ford, 22, allegedly planned and carried out a March 13 attack on police in Landover, Md., while Malik, 21, and Elijah, 18, recorded the shooting on their cellphones. Michael Ford instructed at least one of his brothers to send the video to WorldstarHipHop and his girlfriend, prosecutors said.
“They thought that this whole incident was sensational,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said. “They were all hoping there would be some sort of notoriety that would come out of this.”
The brothers appeared for the hearing together, the older two in orange jumpsuits and the youngest in beige, with their sister and aunt weeping as they came through the doors. During portions of the hearing, the brothers shook their heads in disagreement or rolled their eyes – all while surrounded by more than half a dozen sheriff’s deputies.
Attorneys for the Fords argued that there was not enough probable cause to hold the brothers on second-degree murder charges because none of them fired the shot that killed Colson.
Colson, an undercover narcotics detective who was off duty in street clothes when he responded to the shooting, was killed by a colleague who police said mistook him as a threat.
“The killing must have been done by the defendant,” to pursue the murder charge, said Max Wolson, an attorney for Michael Ford.
Attorneys for Malik and Elijah Ford made similar arguments, saying neither of their clients pulled a trigger or pointed a gun at an officer.
But Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Ruddy argued that the “circumstances created by Michael Ford” caused Colson’s death and the two younger brothers “stay present and assisted the entire time and hit record.”
“It doesn’t matter who shot them,” Ruddy said.
Malik Ford “brokered a gun deal” two weeks before the shooting to get the weapon used in the shooting, according to Detective Joshua Malinowski, a homicide investigator on the case who testified during the hearing.
Defense attorneys asked Malinowski whether he knew who shot Colson, and he responded that he didn’t. Later, when Ruddy asked him if he thought he knew who shot Colson, Malinowski responded with Krauss’s name but said it was based on “rumor going around the office.”
Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski confirmed after the hearing that Krauss fired the fatal shot. A report showed that Colson’s death was cause by a rifle bullet and that Krauss was the only responding officer who had such a weapon, Stawinski said.
“It’s a double tragedy because not only have we lost a police officer, but we’ve lost one in a friendly-fire incident precipitated by something . . . that is completely senseless,” said Stawinski, who referred to Krauss as a “talented young man.”
Krauss, who is on routine administrative leave, is assigned to patrol from the station where the shooting occurred, police said.
A blog post from the department shows that Krauss was named an Officer of the Month in 2013 for chasing armed suspects who fled from police and were later found to have had open warrants in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Krauss’s father is a retired major from the department, Stawinski said.
John “Zeek” Teletchea, head of the county police union, said the shooting was a “very traumatic event” for those involved.
“No officer wants to be put in that position,” Teletchea said.
When the hearing ended, the brothers stood up and had begun leaving the courtroom when their sister called out, “I love you all.”
Michael Ford turned his head back toward his family and said, “Pray for us, you all.”
Outside the courtroom, the sister, who declined to give her name, said “justice will prevail.”
Prosecutors have until May 13 to return an indictment, after which the felony charges could be dropped. In addition to the second-degree murder count, the brothers have been charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and several other related charges connected to the incident.
