12 things to know about Korryn Gaines’ shooting

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Korryn Gaines was shot and killed by police in Randallstown, MD on Monday.

Here’s what we know:

1. Korryn Gaines was 23-years-old when she was shot and killed by Randallstown, MD police in Baltimore County.

2. Police allege that Gaines was holding her 5-year-old son in an hours-long standoff with the police threatening to kill them before they shot at her.

That narrative is starting to be questioned as a newly released video of her son saying he was never held hostage. His mother asked him to hide in the closet after repeatedly telling him to leave with his father.

3. Police say they were executing an arrest warrant at 9:20 am on August 1st for Gaines and a male companion.

Police said the officers knocked on the door of the apartment and identified themselves as police.  In a press release, police say they were executing a warrant for missed court dates on traffic violations, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. The department spokesperson described in the press release what they say happened next:

No one answered the door, but the officers heard the voices of a man and woman coming from inside the apartment, which they knew to be the address of the subjects. They also heard a child crying. After five to 10 minutes, one of the officers obtained a key to the apartment from the landlord and used it to open the door. The officer saw a woman sitting on the floor and pointing a long gun at him; this woman matched a photo of the woman sought in the warrant.

The officers retreated to the hallway outside the apartment and called for additional support. The male suspect ran from the apartment with a 1-year-old boy — one of two children in in the apartment with the couple — and was apprehended by police. The armed woman remained inside with the 5-year-old boy, and a barricade situation began at about 9:40 a.m. and continued throughout the afternoon. The apartment building was evacuated to protect the safety of the other residents.

4. Gaines Also Has A Daughter Who is Younger Than Her 5-year-old son

Officers say the male companion they were executing a warrant for as well ran off with a 1-year-old child. There is no confirmation as of yet if that was Gaines daughter.

5. In the standoff police also shot her 5-year-old son who is currently recovering from his wounds.

6. Authorities are not sure whether the officers on the scene were wearing body cameras or not. The police department started phasing its body cameras program last month, but only some officers received the devices.

7. Authorities say after repeatably knocking on the door, an officer obtained a key from the landlord. Authorities allege that Gaines was holding a shot gun when they entered.

8. The names of the officers involved have not been released

9. Those who knew Gaines said the police deleted her Facebook live video and Twitter account.

Police confirmed at a Tuesday that they requested Facebook deactivate the accounts during the standoff, because Gaines was posting videos from inside the apartment. Facebook accepted the request. The accounts were not deleted and the data was retained as evidence, officials said. Police said they made the request to remove distractions while police negotiators were talking with her.

10. There is a video of Gaines’ son saying the “police are trying to kill us” before the shooting

A video posted by Korryn Gaines to Instagram shows her talking with her 5-year-old son just before she was shot. In the video, which you can watch below, Gaines asks the boy who is outside, and he replies, “the police.” As officers can be heard in the background, Gaines asks her son, “and what are they trying to do?” He says, “they’re trying to kill us.”

She then asks him if he wants to go “out there,” and he says “no,” before the video ends.

My son is not a hostage. He wants to be here in his home with his mother.

A video posted by RoyalKay? (@shesyourmajesty) on Aug 1, 2016 at 9:57am PDT

11. Gaines Recorded a Video During a Traffic Stop and Complained Against Harassment

She posted several videos to Instagram from her traffic stop in March.

She posted several videos in March during the traffic stop that led to her arrest. Police said the videos showed her “anti-government views.”

PAINFUL to watch. This is from March. #KorrynGaines telling her 5 y/o son to film her encounter with police. pic.twitter.com/fSgClOl65x

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) August 2, 2016

“Officers stopped Gaines’ silver Toyota Camry because it had no license plate — only a rectangular piece of cardboard with the following writing on it: ‘Any government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right to freedom,’” police said. “Gaines resisted arrest, throwing the citations issued by the officer out the window and saying officers would have to “murder” her before she got out of the vehicle. She engaged officers in a physical fight as they tried to remove her from the vehicle.”

12. On Her LinkedIn Page, Korryn Gaines says she was a hairstylist who graduated from Baltimore City College

She graduated from Baltimore City College in 2010.

Her uncle, Jerome Barnett, told the Baltimore Sun she was “feisty, but she was smart and she was respectful. My niece is a good person; I never knew her to be a rowdy person.”

Another uncle, Jerome’s twin brother, Jermaine, told the Sun she was a “beautiful person, really smart, intellectual. I’m in a surreal state of mind right now. She was loved by everybody — I’m going to miss her and I love her.”

Source : Baltimore Sun, Heavy