Off-duty police officer shoots down gunman at a barbershop

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A Baltimore police sergeant was getting his hair cut on Saturday afternoon when a gunman burst in and shot the barber, forcing the officer to spring into action, say police.

The sergeant quickly drew his own weapon and fired at the shooter, killing him, reports the Baltimore Sun.

The suspect, who was later identified as 38-year-old Carlos Ortega, had allegedly been on a shooting spree that day, and had attacked two other people earlier.

One of his victims, 44-year-old Javier Villegas Cotto, also a barber, was gunned down outside the shop where he worked and died from his wounds. The other man was injured in a separate location and was still in critical condition as of Saturday.

Officials said Mr Ortega then went to the barbershop where he opened fire on the 33-year-old barber, Rafael Jeffers, and killed him.

The off-duty sergeant, who has not been named, was not in uniform at the time of the attack and remained unharmed, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said, adding that he had shown “great bravery” during the sudden attack.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said: “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,” adding that Mr Ortega could have wounded or murdered more victims if the sergeant hadn’t acted.

“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,” said Mr Scott.

Investigators are looking into how the three shootings are related.

“We’re processing three different scenes in three parts of the city,” said Mr Harrison. “While this perpetrator has expired from his injuries, we will still need answers to these questions.”

The off-duty sergeant has been placed on administrative duties while the incident is being investigated.