Police: Maryland Officer Shot Passenger During Traffic Stop

ESSEX, Md. (AP) — Baltimore County Police say an officer shot a passenger who got out of a vehicle during a traffic stop and made a sudden movement for his waistband area.

Police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter says the officer stopped the vehicle for suspected narcotics activity about 2 a.m. Thursday in Essex. Wachter says the passenger exited and interacted with the officer, and then reached for his waistband and turned.

Wachter says the officer feared for his life and shot the passenger.

Wachter says the passenger was taken to a hospital but didn't give his condition.

Wachter says no weapon was found, but suspected narcotics were. The officer is on administrative leave during an investigation.

The incident comes amid a national debate over police treatment of black people, but Wachter says in this case the officer and the passenger are white. Their names weren't released.