Maryland State Police Beat / James Rich II shot Queen Anne’s Deputy Warren Hogan; Deputy’s return fire was fatal
CHESTERTOWN, MD – Serving warrants and responding to domestic violence calls continue to be the most dangerous part of the job for law enforcement officers. A man who had twice before been charged with domestic violence and had been in a physical domestic confrontation grabbed his shotgun to deal with the woman arriving at the man’s home with a Queen Anne’s Sheriff’s Deputy to retrieve her belongings shot the deputy. The deputy returned fire and ended the shootout with a fatal shot.
The Deputy was rushed to the shock trauma unit in Baltimore in critical condition and the Maryland State Police have assumed the investigation at the request of Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Gary Hofmann.
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit provided details of the death of the suspect who shot and wounded Deputy First Class Warren S. Hogan, 32, a four-year-veteran of the department early on Dec. 29, 2016. He is currently undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he is listed in critical condition.
Maryland State Police identified the dead man as James Linwood Rich Jr., 52, of 209 Edmore Road, Chestertown, Md. He was pronounced deceased at the Chester River Hospital after being rushed to the emergency room.
At about 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, 2016, Rich’s girlfriend, who had been staying with him at his residence, sent a text message to her father stating she and the suspect had been in a physical altercation and requested he call police. Her father called 911 and DFC Hogan and another deputy responded to the home, but both Rich and victim had left. It was later learned the victim’s father had picked her up and transported her to the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Hogan returned to the sheriff’s office and took a report from the victim concerning the domestic violence incident with Rich earlier in the evening. The victim requested to return to the residence to obtain some belongings and asked the deputy to accompany her there.
Police say that shortly after midnight, DFC Hogan returned to the home with the victim and her parents. Rich and his teenage son were already at the home.
DFC Hogan and the victim went into the one-story, single-family home and she began to retrieve her things. The victim and Rich became involved in another argument upon her entry to the home.
The preliminary investigation indicates Rich went into a room in the back of the residence and obtained a shotgun. He came out of the room and fired one round. He then continued walking toward DFC Hogan and was in close proximity when Rich and Deputy Hogan exchanged gunfire. Both were struck by the other’s gunfire.
“Hogan was struck at close range in the torso, said Dr. Thomas Scalea, physician-in-chief at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Maryland.” “He was awake and talking, but clearly critically injured,” Scalea said.
NBC 4 News in Washington reports that “Hogan was struck at close range in the torso, said Dr. Thomas Scalea, physician-in-chief at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Maryland.” “He was awake and talking, but clearly critically injured,” Scalea said. “…[A] close-range shotgun blast is a devastating injury,” he said. “He may need more surgery, and remains “quite ill, but we are hopeful,” Scalea said. “It’s a little early to tell what else we’re going to have to do, and we’ll see how things go over the next few days and few weeks.”
According to police, DFC Hogan was armed with his department-issued Smith and Wesson .45 caliber pistol.
EMS personnel were summoned to the scene and transported both the deputy and the suspect. No one else at the home was struck by gunfire.
DFC Hogan was wearing a body camera. Investigators will be reviewing any camera footage as part of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Maryland State Police criminal investigators and crime scene personnel remain on the scene. Investigators are obtaining a search warrant and will be searching and processing the scene after the search warrant is signed.
DFC Hogan was wearing a body camera. Investigators will be reviewing any camera footage as part of the ongoing criminal investigation. Maryland State Police say that at this stage of the investigation, any camera footage is considered investigative information and will not be released.
Police report that their initial release of information is preliminary and the investigation is continuing. Upon completion, the investigation will be submitted to the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.
According to court records Rich had recently been in Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court on Dec. 22, 2016, when his wife brought divorce litigation and Rich was represented by attorney Crystal Richard, of Chestertown. The divorce was sought by his ex-wife, Elizabeth J. Rich on June 27, 2016. On Dec. 27, Elizabeth Rich had provided a pre-trial statement after James Rich had contested the divorce in spite of his new relationship. With the death of Rich, the action will terminate as well.
The sparks flew in the Rich home on July 24, 2015, when Rich was charged with domestic violence and a protective order was signed on July 31, 2015, by a Queen Anne’s District Court Judge.
The sparks flew in the Rich home on July 24, 2015, when Rich was charged with domestic violence and a protective order was signed on July 31, 2015, by a Queen Anne’s District Court Judge.
Another charge of domestic violence was issued against Rich on July 1, 1997, in Queen Anne’s District Court.