Investigative Report Released for April 2022 Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Harford County
BALTIMORE, MD (April 3, 2023)– The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General today released its investigative report of the April 23, 2022, fatal officer-involved shooting in Harford County.
On April 23, 2022, at approximately 4:00 p.m., deputies with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a suicidal person with access to firearms. Deputies located the individual who was the subject of the call, John Fauver, in a truck driving in a parking lot in the 1500 block of Rock Spring Road in Forest Hill, Maryland. Sergeant Bradford Sives exited his patrol car and ordered Mr. Fauver out of his truck at gunpoint. Mr. Fauver began to drive away, at which point Sgt. Sives fired his gun multiple times at the truck’s tires. Mr. Fauver continued to drive and stopped in an adjacent area in the parking lot. After several minutes, Mr. Fauver exited his truck and began to communicate with deputies on scene. During this period of time, Mr. Fauver retrieved an item from his truck, later determined to be a medical walking cane, and pointed it at deputies. Corporal Christopher Maddox and Sgt. Sives both discharged their firearms. Only the shots from Sgt. Sives’ shotgun struck Mr. Fauver. A cane was recovered near him. Deputies rendered aid to Mr. Fauver until paramedics arrived. Mr. Fauver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
On April 25, 2022, the Attorney General’s Office
filed suitin Harford County Circuit Court requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop the Sheriff ’s Office from interfering with the IID’s investigation in violation of state law. On April 28, 2022, following a hearing on the matter, a judge granted the Attorney General’s request for a temporary restraining order, instructing the Sheriff ’s Office to immediately turn over all evidence to the IID. On June 29, 2022, Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger announced—while the case was still under active investigation—that he was declining to prosecute the case.
The IID continued to complete a thorough, independent investigation, as required by the law, and concluded its investigation on November 21, 2022. The IID’s investigative report was forwarded to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office on November 23, 2022. Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey notified the IID on March 27, 2023, of her decision not to prosecute the case.
The IID’s report contains detailed investigative findings and an analysis of relevant legal issues. Because the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office—not the IID—retains prosecution authority in this case, the report does not make any recommendations as to whether any individual should or should not be charged. A copy of the investigative report can be found
here.
By law, the IID’s report must remain confidential until any related prosecution is completed or the State’s Attorney’s Office declines to prosecute. If the local State’s Attorney declines to prosecute, the IID will release the report, with appropriate redactions for confidentiality, within 30 days of that determination.
