Man Shot and Killed After Attacking Police With Sword

Baltimore County Police officers shot and killed a Reisterstown man last night after he attacked police with a sword while they were serving a warrant.

Ronald Melvin Cox Jr., 48, of the 400 block of Highmeadow Road, was pronounced dead at the scene in his home at 11:46 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release.

Officers were at the home at 11:40 p.m. to serve a search warrant in connection with an attempted murder case. As officers entered an upstairs bedroom, Cox swung a large sword at one of the officers. The officer, a 17-year veteran in the tactical unit, opened fire to stop the attack, striking Cox, the news release said.

Cox was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy. The name of the officer involved in the shooting has not been released, and he has been placed on administrative leave pending a review of the incident. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

No one was home at the scene on Friday afternoon, and neighbors who were home declined to comment on the incident. The street was quiet, and there were no visible signs that a shooting had taken place the night before.

One neighbor told WBAL Radio she thought firecrackers were going off.

"This is really a quiet neighborhood, so it was really scary," Angie Gullett, a neighbor, told WBAL Radio.