On the afternoon of March 11, 2015, a traffic stop on Augustine Herman Highway in Elkton, Maryland, ended with 37-year-old Terry Garnett Jr shot and killed by a Cecil County deputy. Deputy First Class Joseph Costa attempted to stop the Mercury Mountaineer Garnett was driving; Garnett turned onto a side road, then reportedly turned the vehicle around and accelerated toward the deputy. The deputy discharged his .40-caliber Glock multiple times, and Garnett was struck once in the head. His vehicle continued through a backyard and struck a tree. EMS responded and Garnett was pronounced dead; an autopsy ruled the cause of death a single gunshot wound and the death a homicide.

Maryland State Police Homicide Unit conducted an independent investigation and Deputy Costa was placed on routine administrative leave pending review. A search of Garnett’s vehicle recovered a quantity of heroin with an estimated street value of about $3,000 and revealed three outstanding drug-related warrants; no weapon was found in the vehicle. The investigation was to be referred to the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office for a determination on the use of deadly force.

Did anyone in the Elkton area witness the traffic stop or have information about what led up to it?