While getting his hair cut at an East Baltimore barbershop, an unnamed off-duty police sergeant witnessed his barber’s fatal shooting. His quick thinking stopped the shooter in his tracks.
Rafael Jeffers was shot and killed by Carlos Ortega, who was also allegedly involved in two other shootings over the past weekend, the Baltimore Sun reported. Dressed in plain clothes, the off-duty cop quickly went for his own weapon and fired, reportedly killing the suspect.
*Warning: Graphic Violence*
HERO: Off-duty Baltimore police officer shoots and kills gunman that murdered hairdresser.
*WARNING: Graphic* pic.twitter.com/K5hng4wd7v
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@KatieDaviscourt) November 19, 2021
According to CBS Baltimore, Jeffers was the owner of the Bladi Style barbershop and had immigrated to America from the Dominican Republic. Reportedly leaving behind a wife and a daughter, a neighbor of Jeffers told the news outlet about the senseless act of violence, “I can’t imagine. I have a young daughter and just I can’t imagine losing them as they are trying to work hard to make a living.
Local police believe that Ortega is also responsible for two other shootings that occurred in Baltimore on Saturday, Nov. 20, according to the Baltimore Sun. One shooting, which happened near the Greektown neighborhood of the city, reportedly left 44-year-old Javier Villegas Cotto fatally injured, while another person was taken to the hospital and placed under critical condition following a shooting that occurred a couple of miles away from the barbershop.
According to the outlet, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said about the possible connection between the three shootings, “We’re processing three different scenes in three parts of the city. While this perpetrator has expired from his injuries, we will still need answers to these questions,” adding, “We are working to determine the connectivity, which is a likely connectivity.”
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Recognizing the off-duty police officer for his bravery and fast-thinking, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott reportedly stated during a recent briefing, “This is something the average person wouldn’t do. And this is something that our officers do each and every day in the city of Baltimore…We don’t know what would have happened if he was not able to respond in that way, and how many more incidents could have happened tonight here in Baltimore City.”
Authorities continue to investigate the shootings in order to discover a motive.
