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Suitland resident Artell Cunningham was shot and killed by Sgt. Byron Purnell, a 6-year veteran of the New Carrollton Police Department, and Cpl. Carlos Batenga, who has five years of law enforcement experience, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General previously said.
Shortly after 4:30 a.m., officers from the department on patrol in the 7500 block of Annapolis Road spotted a disabled SUV parked in the roadway, prompting further investigation.
While probing the area, they learned that the SUV had been carjacked in a different part of Prince George's County, and as the officers searched the area for a driver, they were approached by Cunningham, who displayed two handguns, leading to the deadly shooting.
Footage released from the officers’ body-worn cameras from moments after the shooting shows their attempts to resuscitate him as they call for an ambulance.
“We got him, we got him, we got one,” one of the officers can be heard saying around the five-and-a-half-minute mark.
“Flip him over, flip him over and put him in handcuffs, and then we gotta work him…check for a pulse,” the officer says as they begin to administer CPR.
Click here to view the full video clip.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) at (410) 576-7070 or email IID@oag.state.md.us.
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