Security guard arrested after shooting ‘belligerent’ Royal Farms patron in the head, Baltimore Police say
Facing a belligerent patron early Sunday at the Royal Farms convenience store on Washington Boulevard near Carroll Park in Southwest Baltimore, security guard Kanisha Spence drew her 9 mm handgun.
The man briefly left the premises after Spence threatened him with the gun. But then he returned, still acting disruptive and yelling, according to police.
Spence drew her weapon again, walked toward the man and shot him in the head, police reports show. She was arrested hours later on attempted murder and other charges. The man remains hospitalized in grave condition.
The shooting marked the second time in recent weeks that a Baltimore security guard discharged their weapon on the job. Last month, a CVS security guard in Harbor East shot a man in the face after he allegedly approached the officer wielding a hypodermic needle. Police have not announced charges against that officer.
Court records show Spence, 43, is being held without bail pending a Dec. 1 court hearing. Baltimore Police announced her arrest Tuesday.
She was working at Royal Farms early Sunday when a man entered the store and became argumentative, according to her charging documents. Spence pulled her gun the first time because he kept refusing to leave, police said.
When he “again attempted to confront Ms. Spence,” she again pointed her gun at him, according to police.
Then, while the man’s female companion was restraining him in the vestibule area of the store, police said, Spence advanced toward him and pulled the trigger, shooting him in the head and causing him to fall.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the man lying in the doorway with a gunshot wound.
Detectives later questioned Spence, who said she shot the man because he lunged at her, according to the charging documents. An attorney representing Spence is not yet listed in online court records.
“There was no other indication that she feared for her safety at any point in time during this interaction,” wrote police, saying she’s the one who moved toward the victim before pulling the trigger.
Employees at the convenience store declined to comment and a spokesperson for the Baltimore-based Royal Farms chain did not respond to a request for comment.
While the police listed her as an employee of Maximum Protective Security, the Maryland State Police roll of state security services lists a Maximum Protective Services Security Investigations in Owings Mills and a Maximum Protective Services & Loss Prevention in Bowie. Neither responded to a request for comment.
The state police, who certify security guards in the state, confirmed Tuesday that Spence was in their system. Agency spokesman Ron Snyder said she holds a “valid security guard card” that runs through the end of the year. She first applied for certification in December 2019.
Snyder said the agency doesn’t have information about whether Spence was involved in any prior shootings. He said the agency doesn’t formally track such shootings, though officials make notes in an internal portal when they receive notification about the incidents.
If a security guard is charged criminally in connection with a shooting, that doesn’t automatically lead to a suspension of their certification, he said. But State Police can issue emergency suspensions under some circumstances, including if the agency finds the “public health, safety or welfare imperatively requires emergency action.” That determination is made, Snyder said, after consultation with legal counsel.
Security guards in Maryland don’t face standardized training requirements.
To apply for certification, an applicant has to be a current employee or applicant with a licensed security guard agency and “be of good moral character and reputation,” according to the state’s website.
The agency can deny certification to anyone who commits fraud or deception in obtaining certification and anyone who is convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor related to their “fitness and qualification” as a security guard.
