Charles Bennett, 33, was the focus of a wide manhunt after Baltimore Police Officer Brian Winder was fatally shot while responding to a 911 call on Saturday, July 3, 2004. Officer Winder, 36 and a 10-year veteran, confronted two men inside a liquor store when he was ambushed and struck three times; he later died at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

One suspect, 31-year-old Jermaine Gaines, was arrested at the scene and later implicated Charles Bennett as the shooter. Police described Bennett as a professional criminal and offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. The search included inquiries into whether he had fled the city.

On the morning of July 7, 2004, a city warrant task force and U.S. Marshals, acting on a tip, tracked Bennett to Room 205 at the Relax Inn motel on Reisterstown Road. Officers heard a single gunshot before entering and found Bennett with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. No shots were fired by law enforcement.

If anyone knew Bennett’s whereabouts in early July 2004 or has information about the events at the liquor store, please share what is known.