A Baltimore Police officer will not face charges after fatally shooting a woman who was armed with a knife during a mental health crisis, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
The deadly shooting of 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks occurred on June 25, 2025, after officers responded to a call requesting a welfare check. Shortly after, police also received a call from the same location about an attempted stabbing in a home.
Responding to a mental health crisis
Officers arrived at the house in the 2700 block of Mosher Street, where they encountered Brooks and a family member.
The family member told officers they believed Brooks was not taking her prescribed medication and that she attempted to stab him when he tried to go into the home. He also advised that she had placed a heavy object to block the back door, police said.
As officers were talking with the family members, medics arrived to help Brooks and determine if she needed to be taken to a hospital. They determined that she was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed more evaluation.
As medics tried to make contact with Brooks through the back door, she appeared and yelled as she swiped a knife through an open crack in the door, according to police.
Medics then determined that Brooks did not have the capacity to refuse medical treatment, and it was decided that police would enter through the front door and secure her so medics could transport her to a hospital.
Interactions with armed woman
Once inside the house, officers encountered Brooks, who was armed with a knife. She initially moved away as several officers directed her to drop the weapon, officials said.
However, Brooks did not comply with the demands and instead moved toward the officers with the knife still in her hands. Officer Stephen Galewski used his Taser on Brooks, but it was not effective.
Brooks then stood up and again walked toward the officer while armed with the knife, officials said. Officer Galewski tried to back up, but tripped over a piece of furniture and fell to the ground.
As Brooks continued to get closer, Officer Stephen Colbert fired his gun, hitting Brooks, according to officials. Officers immediately started rendering aid, and Brooks was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) found that Officer Colbert did not commit a crime under Maryland law.
Mental health crisis responses
Brooks’ death sparked a conversation in Baltimore about mental health crises and how they are handled by police, as some residents said her death was preventable.
President of the Laburt Improvement Community Association, Janet Bailey handed out flyers in the community after Brooks in an effort to raise awareness abut local behavioral health services.
“Even if you shot her, could she be shot in the leg or the foot, in the arm, in the shoulder?” Bailey said after the shooting. “Where she had the knife and was coming down on ya’ll, couldn’t she have been shot in the shoulder? Did she have to be shot two times and killed…70 years old…I’m saying 70 years old.”
Brooks was described by her family as a generous and loving soul who struggled with mental health and did not deserve to die.