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Family of man killed by police not allowed to identify his body
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The day after the early Tuesday shooting, Bryant Worrell’s sister Lynn Blanks, 28, said she went to identify the body at the Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, but was told the body wasn’t there.
When she went back to the morgue Thursday with Nancy Worrell, they were told they couldn’t see the body, Blanks said.
“They’re saying he was already identified by police and we can’t see him because they’re investigating,” Blanks said. “They don’t want anybody seeing him because they’re covering up something. This makes you hate police, it makes you not want to trust them.”
City police say they shot Bryant Worrell after the developmentally disabled man refused to drop a gun. But family members say they don’t believe Worrell was armed.
Baltimore police spokesman Sterling Clifford said homicide detectives are investigating the shooting, but it’s the Medical Examiner’s Office that decides whether the family can see Worrell’s body.
State Medical Examiner David Fowler did not return repeated phone calls.
Nancy Worrell had called police when five men broke into her home and began beating her son. When he was shot and collapsed behind a house on the 3100 block of East Lombard Street, she and her husband were not allowed to see their son, she said.
“I tried to go back there and see my son, and they told me to ‘get the f--- back in the house,’ ” she said.
Worrell’s girlfriend, Sharda Fenwick, 17, is pregnant. He also has a 4-year-old daughter with another woman, family members said.
Court records show Worrell was on probation for a 2005 theft and had convictions for drug possession in 2007 and burglary in 2006. He was charged but not convicted of armed robbery in 2005.
The family is asking for donations to the Bryant Worrell Memorial Fund for a funeral service. Donations can be made at any Provident Bank.
Examiner Staff Writer Luke Broadwater contributed to this report.
cpeirce@baltimoreexaminer.com
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7:17 PM MST on Sun., Aug. 10, 2008 re: "Man’s parents, girlfriend dispute police account of fatal shooting"
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Examiner Reader said:
I am very sorry that another death has taken place in my city. I am unhappy for the family,the police and our city. Just reading these comments makes me very unhappy, there are so many judges out there who do nothing to change the situation on our city streets. They just ride by or peek out the window as our youth destroy what so many have given their life to build. What about all those people who have good jobs that drive their company vehicles up to these youth buying the drugs,they don't live around here but the residents,police & the courts just let it go as business as usual every day. These people are just as guilty for actions and incidents like this one. If the police would put the coffee cups down, get out of the vehicles and walk the beat, it would bring a new light. The police need to go back to being "GRUNTS" not runts. So many have compromised that now they get no respect. And I don't mean a bunch of rookies who just stand on the corner talking to each other. Work !
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Funny how all these jerks invoke the love of God as they kill each other. How about the Dollar General worker killed SW today. What excuses are you going to use to day, and please dont blame the the police on this one.
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Examiner Reader said:
Dirt bikes and scooters are illegal. Besides it is time to license them and there drivers for safety, also they should be required to have insurance. If you ride the streets you should pay your fair share too. About time state officials do something about this. It is not fare to auto and truck drivers who have to watch out for these jerks as the weave and in and out and dont give a dam about you.
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Examiner Reader said:
Correction to my post below---filthy streets/keep these hoodlums from a life of crime. Sorry for the typing errors but I am a little upset right now with the state of the city I love so much.
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a black police officer who was born and raised here in balt city (east balt) to be exact, i am sick of black people making excuses for their criminal relatives and friends. Nobody is forcing you to sell drugs even though you dont bring it over here. The police or THE MAN arent holding you back! I ride around west balt everyday and all you see is people hanging in liquor stores, sitting on steps on filthy stteets feeling sorry for themselves waiting for a govt handout! No attempt to get a job or do anything productive so stop with the rec center crap will kteep these hoodlums from a life of crime. Their own families sit right on the front steps while they sell drugs then cry about the police harrassing their little angels when they get caught! The adults are just as ignorant as the kids and blame everyone in the world for their problems except their own lazy, no ambition having asses!
6 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
To the idiot reader who says the police harass black people, when you are in trouble call the gun toten drug dealer to come and help you not the police. This dead punk had 2 pages of criminal history including carrying a conceled weapon, hand gun violations, B&E's assults, MDOP $500+ and robbery. I'm glade the full is dead and if the police keep on track maybe we can rid the city of people like this.
2 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
7:32 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 21, 2008 - people with ideas like this is why nothing will ever change in Baltimore City!
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The system is setup to harass, detain, and lockup black males in Urban Areas...And Guns are sold everyday in the united states...so are drugs and i have never saw a black man steer a oil tanker to Port full of Cocaine/Herione/Guns...But i have seen Police harass innocent hard working black people with NO RECORDS!!!! Shoot and Kill UnArmed Black Men!!! Take their Police Cruisers and knock young teens off those dirt bikes and scooters for no reason aside the Fact that they feel they CAN!!! Even though the law states that they(Police).can't!!!! So after the uniform there is still a person with problems and a perfecy being at all...Police are subject to mistakes and wrong doings as we all are..So b4 you gather a linch mob for this family..take a look at what you've ever did wrong in your life time!!! And ask yourself is it worth killed for? GOD will deal all of us individually in the end of days.. Police lie to cover the Truth just as criminals do..Police are the biggest gang in the world.
2 agree | 7 disagree
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Voice of Reason said:
8:52 am.. He wasn't a fleeing VICTIM, he was a FLEEING FELON! It has nothing to do with race, either. A thug is a thug is a thug, no matter their skin color. It is glorious to have a gun, sell drugs, and commit crimes. It is a lifestyle choice that people make. Stop blaming the police and sticking up for a family of criminals who chose their path. They get what they get. If they were truly concerned about their dead criminal son, they'd have kept him in the house, made sure he got his FREE education, and certainly made sure he never left the house with a gun in his waistband. And surely they would have taught him right from wrong. Pulling a gun on the police, is never right. If a person pulls a gun on a police officer, I am fairly sure they would pull a gun on anyone and are an imminent danger to the community. It very well could have been you he was going to jack next.
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Examiner Reader said:
Who made all these comments the."KKK"....I just hope that none of your children are victims of violence!!! Be it Police or Thugs!!! A uniform when being used as a shield to do what you want instead of what you were sworn to do becomes a shield to hide behind...and it makes the Police Thugs with Badges...Passing judgement on that Greiving Family if they get high or not is just plain Ignorant!!! If they recieve a just investigation and its dtermined a justifiable shoot then the officer did his job..If not then he is Guilty of Murder...A fleeing victim does not stand a chance being shot in the back..
0 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The city is full of these jerks - check the jails and see how many jerks are from Balto, they are innocent, they dont lie and there families say they do no wrong, then why are they locked up over and over. The Police are doing a fine job - keep up the good work. If you carry a gun and want to front the police, you get what you deserve. The police will always be here, the criminals, each one of them, one day will be gone, one by one if they dont kill each other first. I say, withdraw from certain areas and let them go at it. One less chance of putting an officers life in danger. We need the officer, not these jerks.Grieving family, BS.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Patterson Park Resident said:
For the last time, Nancy and Bryant Worrell were drug nuisances. They were evicted from two other houses in Baltimore City for drug activity. Look up their court records on the MD Casesearch website and see for yourself.
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Voice of Reason said:
How about don't be a gun toting thug on the street, or a career criminal, and you have a fairly decent chance of NOT getting shot by a cop. I cannot imagine what the BPD officers go through on a daily basis. I'm sure there are a few bad apples in the bunch, but by and large, you guys and girls have one of the most difficult jobs in the Country. Policing a City that is full of thankless, ignorant, lazy criminals.
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
what is wrong with these cops? they are suppose to uphold the law and they act more like criminals than the ones they are suppose to protect. I live across the street from a police station and I can tell you that they act like complete jerks at times. I've had to call the cops ON the cops. What is the mayor going to do about all of this? All of you who are defending them need a reality check. For every 40 good officers there is 1 out there with a vendetta or a chip on his or her shoulder. It's not all roses and cupcakes in Baltimore City. The kid may have been a bad seed but does that mean he should have been killed? That mentality just isn't kosher. No one deserves to die that way. There are too many bad eggs out there who creating chaos for the rest of us and unfortunately some of them hide under a shield. That's all I'm saying.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
To the resident of the 600 block of Bouldin street--you are one of the residents of this city that knows everything about police shootings but nothing about the black males shooting each other in your HOOD! Go clean up that trash in your filthy block! THANK YOU POLICE OFFICERS! Dont let anything deter you from doing your jobs!
3 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i say good riddance! if you ever want to see some pathetic looking crap then just ride around the city during the middle of the day in THE HOOD and you will see countless alcoholics,drug addicts and dealers just hanging out being LOSERS! Bet 90% are on some type of govt assistance! BALTIMORE CITY POLICE you have a thankless job but I have all the respect in the world for you all!
3 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
To all you people who like to complain about the hard working police officrs we have in Baltimore.. Instead of calling 911 for the stupid calls. Like, my neighbor is playing loud music, my kid wont got to school, kids playing ball in the street.. Ect. First know your neighbor. You were a kid a one time, rememmber playing ball in the street... Get out of your house and away from that cable tv and computer.. Pay attention to your surroundings.. still complaining, Then Call your Local street corner pharmacetical salesman to assist you next time.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The thug got what he was coming to him. The people that feel sorry for him on here are probly criminals them selfs. Everyone complains that the police don't do anything, but when the police act it's the same people that complain that the police over reacted. I say drop the bomb on Baltimore and start over. I agree with my fellow Officer, Don't act like and idiot and you will not have to deal with the POLICE!!!!!!!!!!!
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Sounds like most other "thugs" on city streets. Career criminal, from a family of criminals, mentally disabled, child on the way with a 17 year old girl, another child and babys mama out and about that the tax payer is supporting. BUT he was currently working hard to get his life together. He has been a drain on society since the day he was born, good riddence. The streets around the unit block of S. Robinson Street just got a bit safer with this thugs demise. Keep up the good work BPD, many are behind you.
5 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I firmly believe that the police murdered that man in cold blood. The same thing happened outside my apartment at 604 N. Bouldin Street in November 2007. The police opened fire upon a young man sitting on the sidewalk between two parked vehicles. They were undercover cops looking to make a drug buy. Shot and killed the young 22 year old man. He tried to get under my roommate's van to avoid the bullets, unfortunately, the cops walked up close to the back bumper of the van and shot him at close range at least 4 times, cause we have the bullet dents in the bumper to prove it. The Baltimore Police have yet to pay us for the damages. In fact, every time we call, we get the big runaround. No reporters came to that neighborhood to interview the neighbors. When the family held a vigil for him, the cops patrolled the area at least 12 times. Then they popped all of the balloons that had been left in his memory. Baltimore City Police are out of control.
4 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a black male police officer in this city i am so tired of these losers and their families making excuses! get A DAMN JOB and obey the law then you wont have to worry about the POLICE, until then we must rid our society of these urban terrorist who destroy everywhere they go!
4 agree | 8 disagree
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Parkville Rick said:
Looking at this guy's rap sheet on Maryland.gov, the police did us a favor. His mother and sister are no joys either
5 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Such a stupid headline and article. So, what are they (the family), not sure if the dead guy is him? Has he been home lately since he ran from their house with a loaded gun being chased by cops right before they heard gunfire and saw an ambulance take a dead person away from the exact spot that the gunfire came from??!! There is no "cover up." That's just stupid, too. The cover up is the ignorant family who is too stupid to make a single phone call to the medical examiner's office and ask their policy on viewing dead bodies. And who are too stupid to know that confronting cops with a loaded gun will get you shot by cops. Ignorant wastes. The cops did society a favor. They prevented future generations of poor ignorant selfish people from perpetrating their way of life and they saved people that contribute to society from being victimized.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Lets face it, the real truth is these people are just plain TRASH.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Patterson Park Resident said:
Why should we donate money to this thug's "memorial fund"? As Highlandtown Resident mentioned, this family was kicked out of two other houses for being drug nuisances. They don't deserve any sympathy for the path they chose. They reaped what they sowed. To the "Examiner Reader" who posted the "Just another black resident" comment: It's easy for you to spew racist filth anonymously from your home computer. Why don't you try making that same comment, in person, to a couple random people in Baltimore City?
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It's the black and white thing again,on and on and on.................
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Ashamed to be an Examiner Reader said:
Here, reduce your ignorance: Standard policy for years = no civilian is allowed to view deceased people at the medical examiner's office. The medical examiner set that policy independent of ANY police agency. It is the same rule for EVERY case involving every dead person ivestigated by ANY police agency in the state. After autopsy, the dead body is retrieved from the medical examiner by the funeral home/etc., of the families' choice. The family first sees the decedent at the funeral home. NO ONE views the dead body at the medical examiner in MD for identification purposes. That happens only on TV. Identification is made by fingerprints and/or simple investigation at the scene.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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johnn said:
thease are the kinds of police officers shelia dixson allows her commissioner to govern,hard un-feeling,and realy nasty to blacks,i have never seen the morgue not allow anyone to see there loved one ,unles the police department orders it,i believe they are covering up something,probly another bad shooting
4 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
What an idiot.. Did the autopsy show the path of the bullet... Was he shot in the back... Good one genius.. Who cares if he was shot in the back, front, foot, head ect.. He tried to kill a another person with a deadly weapon.. Why are people so fixed on people getting shot in the back.. Ever try to hit a moving target... Yeah, hint there.. MOVING ARMED TARGET! The idiot obviously turned while the officer made that split second decision... What is this world coming too.. Oh, by the way.. Why didnt the media report that he was shot in the chest first.. Oh, I have the answer for that.. It does not sell ratings.... You people live in Fantasy Land! Step away from the T.V! Movies and televisions shows are not real...
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
the man got stupid with an gun and the police and lost. no great loss to society. and his parents are greedy and of course are playing the race card. just like mayor dixon. hope she gets indicted and convicted.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Highlandtown Resident said:
Let's take a look at it another way. The only reason Nancy and Bryant Worrell ended up on Robinson Street is that they were kicked out of their last two homes for being drug nuisances. Check it on Maryland Case Search. Hopefully, now that this has happened, they will leave the Patterson Park area for good. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
5 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Check to see if his hand and finger print are on the gun if they are then the police had to do what they did. If his hands and finger prints are not. Sorry for the lost but the family should get ready for pay day. Take a look at the city's mayor and figure it out.
1 agree | 2 disagree
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Another Examiner Reader said:
What did the autopsy show the path of the bullet was? Was he shot in the back? Maybe that is the key to the whole dispute over truth. Maybe an independent medical examiner could look at the body as well as the official one.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Don't get me wrong there are alot of great blacks in this nation, but that percentage that does wrong makes the whole black community look bad." That's because good things do not go unnoticed and the media loves the bad things. This guy wasn't contributing to society in a positive manner so its better for us as a community.
5 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Your article does not say that the young man's mother witnessed the shooting. Why not? Could it be that she did not witness the shooting and is only going by "the word on the street"? If so, why not tell us that so we, the readers, can fully evaluate her inflamatory statements. She is claiming that the police officer murdered her son. I'd like to know the source of her information. I think you should also care about the source and quality of her information before printing such allegations.
10 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Good Going Baltimore Examiner... You create another fantasy, some idiot readers think this is fact. How about actually investigating your story first.. Lets get rid of this bogus headline.... It should read "Armed person attempts to kill Police Officer". Developmentlly disabled man, Got to love that one. Guess we should excuse his violent criminal record too.. I dare you to follow up on this story when the investigation is completed..
13 agree | 7 disagree
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