For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 27, 2021
The Montgomery County Council issued the following statement after the Montgomery County Police Department released the body-worn camera footage of the officer-involved shooting of Ryan LeRoux on July 16 in Gaithersburg, Maryland:
"This tragedy leaves the LeRoux family without their son and emotional scars that impact our community. Today we are thinking of Ryan LeRoux’s loved ones, friends and neighbors who continue to mourn this devastating loss.
"The Council takes its oversight role extremely seriously, and we have been working collaboratively with Chief of Police Marcus Jones to ensure that the LeRoux family has access to critical information throughout this investigation. We also are committed to ensuring that policies and procedures are reviewed to provide our police officers with the tools they need to successfully deescalate these types of situations. The Council has long advocated for appropriate alternative responses to mental health crises and has added funds to the budget two years in a row to expand the County's Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams. We must work to ensure that behavioral health professionals, with their specialized skill set, are readily available and on call for any potential crisis that arises.
"This fatal officer-involved shooting investigation is now in the hands of the Howard County State's Attorney's Office. Under the Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency (LETT) Act, which was enacted by the Council in 2019, the report from this fatal shooting will be available to the public once it is complete. This law aims to ensure that investigations into officers involved in the death of a civilian are independent, impartial and transparent to further enhance police accountability.
"We are unified in our ongoing commitment to continue working with our community members and law enforcement leaders to provide the resources and support needed to help protect the lives of all residents, as we continue our efforts to reimagine public safety, improve transparency and rebuild trust between our community and our public safety institutions."
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Release ID: 21-313