Police: Attempted traffic stop leads to fatal crash, investigation underway

10/25 UPDATE: Investigators have released the identity of the victim in this crash as 35-year-old Jamaal Parish Mitchell.

We’re also told there were two officers involved in the incident; Private First Class Christopher Denny, who has been employed by the Salisbury Police Department for seven years, and Deputy David Munir, who has been employed with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office for two years.

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SALISBURY, Md. – The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash that happened Thursday night in Wicomico County.

We’re told at around 10 p.m., an officer with the Salisbury Police Department observed a car at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and West Salisbury Pkwy that was reportedly driving without lights and swerving. The officer then tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver failed to stop. The officer decided to pursue the vehicle out of concern that the driver was impaired.

The vehicle then turned onto Queen Avenue, at which point he reportedly hit a Wicomico County Sheriff’s cruiser. The car then continued on Queen Avenue before hitting a second car at the intersection of Queen Avenue and Duchess Drive, causing the driver to lose control of the car. The car then veered into a yard on Duchess Drive and hit a parked vehicle and a tree.

The male driver was pronounced dead at the scene. No further information is available at this time.

We’re also told after Maryland’s police reform, police involved fatalities will now be investigated through the Independent investigations Division (IID) of the office of the Attorney General, to ensure there is a fair and unbiased investigation. “That there can be insurance from everyone that it’s being done independently, that it’s being done with the same level of fairness and fact finding that we expect of any investigation that any law enforcement does,” says Chief of IID, Dana Mulhauser. She adds, “People who are investigating these cases are not the people who are involved in these cases and we do hope that that makes people freer to talk to us.”

The IID is investigating this crash, with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team, the Salisbury Police Department, and Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department.

Anyone with information regarding the crash should contact the office of the Attorney General, at (410) 576-6300.