BALTIMORE, MD — The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General has closed its investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Harwood on September 17, 2022. The Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office announced on August 17, 2023, that it will not prosecute the case.
The initial incident unfolded at around 2:15 a.m. last September when officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department responded to a domestic violence situation at a home in the 4100 block of Sands Road. Two 911 calls were received: the first from a woman claiming her husband, Anthony Hopkins Sr., tried to strangle her with a string; the second from Hopkins’s adult son, who reported that his father was armed with a gun outside the home and had fired shots.
Upon arriving at the scene, police heard gunshots from a wooded area next to the home’s driveway. Some of these shots hit an unoccupied police vehicle. Hopkins later emerged from the woods armed with a long-barreled pistol. Despite repeated commands from officers to drop the weapon, Hopkins aimed his gun at the officers, prompting them to fire back. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured, and the woman involved was later released from the hospital. Five officers were identified as having discharged their service weapons during the incident.
The IID finalized its investigation on April 10, 2023, and sent the report to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office the following day. An amended report was submitted on August 2, 2023. While the IID’s report contains comprehensive investigative findings and legal analysis, it did not recommend whether any charges should be filed against individuals involved, as the local State’s Attorney retains sole prosecution authority for incidents occurring before October 1, 2023. After this date, the IID will have exclusive authority to prosecute police-involved incidents that result in death or likely fatal injuries.
A copy of the investigative report is publicly available.
This development comes at a time when police conduct and officer-involved shootings continue to be a point of focus and scrutiny both locally and nationally. It’s important to note that although the State’s Attorney’s Office has opted not to prosecute, the decision does not assess guilt or innocence but rather evaluates the possibility of successfully prosecuting the case based on available evidence.
