SALISBURY, Md. -The family of a man killed in a police-involved shooting is filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Winfield Fisher III, 32, was shot outside a state police barrack in Salisbury.
The answers, according to the man’s parents, are few. Now, nearly a month after he was killed in a police-involved shooting, they’ve notified the state of their intention to sue.
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“Everybody tries to make up their own excuses as to what happened. All we want to do is get to the truth,” said the Rev. Mildred Fisher, Winfield Fisher’s mother.
She said she wants to know what led to the police-involved shooting that ended her son’s life.
“What we really want answers to is what happened. All we’re hearing are rumors,” father Winfield Fisher Jr. said.
Their son was shot on March 18. According to investigators, Fisher came to the police barrack because of a repair order on his car. He had fixed a license tag light and needed an officer to check and then sign an inspection ticket.
Somehow the situation escalated, and a trooper called for backup. State police said two officers fired on Fisher after he hit and dragged one of the troopers. Fisher crashed and was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
“This is really shrouded in mystery right now. There was not one bullet hole in the vehicle. There were no blood stains in the vehicle. There were no bullet holes inside of the vehicle,” said Larry Greenberg, the attorney for the Fisher family.
During their initial investigation, police said it appeared Fisher was trying to avoid a search of his car and a search warrant after the incident turned up marijuana. Court records indicate Fisher had been charged and convicted on marijuana possession and distribution charges.
“What occurred in the past is irrelevant. You should not get shot for a tag light,” Greenberg said.
Fisher’s mother said while on probation, her son was doing well, taking care of his daughter and fiancée.
“He was doing everything he was supposed to do, so we don’t know what the situation involved, but understand the officer that did the inspection was the same officer that had previously arrested him for that situation,” Mildred Fisher said.
They remain on a fact-finding mission.
“It’s been a test — hard on us, hard on his daughter, hard on the family. I don’t mean to get emotional, but that was my child,” Mildred Fisher said.
WBAL-TV 11 News contacted the Maryland State Police. They said they will not comment on legal matters, and a final report on what happened is not yet complete.
