Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler doubled down on his opposition to a $1 million settlement in the fatal shooting of John Fauver by deputies in 2022 in a video posted Monday.
In the video, the second he has posted criticizing the county administration and the County Council over the settlement, Gahler also admonished Fauver’s wife, who he said purchased one of the weapons present in Fauver’s truck the day of the shooting. According to Gahler, Fauver was prohibited from possessing guns.
Monday’s 9-minute video showed snippets of body camera footage from the April 23, 2022, confrontation, in which Harford sheriff’s deputies fatally shot Fauver in the Bel Air North Village shopping center. Deputies had responded to reports of a “suicidal subject” who was believed to be armed with a long gun.
The investigation into the shooting was muddied by conflicting radio calls by deputies, with one saying he saw a gun and another saying Fauver was wielding a cane, all before officers fired on Fauver, killing him. Two Harford County State’s Attorney investigations concluded no criminal charges should be filed in the case.
The video starts with an unidentified person speaking with Fauver over the phone and Fauver saying, “They’re shooting at me.” The unidentified man asks Fauver what happened and tells him to put his hands out the window of his truck. Fauver responds by saying, “I am ready to die.” Fauver says in the video that he has a rifle.
In an audio recording played on the video, a 911 caller says Fauver is suicidal and adds that while he doesn’t have a weapon in his hands, Fauver probably has one in his truck. Later in the video, a photo is displayed showing Fauver in a shooter’s stance at the scene.
“In this case, our deputies made that split-second decision based on the fact they believed John Fauver was armed and posed a genuine threat,” Gahler says in the video.
Gahler says three weapons, two AR-15-style rifles and one tactical shotgun, and ammunition were found at the scene in the bed of Fauver’s truck.
“A man that was known to have firearms who had already attempted to run down a deputy and was threatening to fire on law enforcement officers emerged from his vehicle taking a shooter’s stance and pointed an object resembling a firearm toward deputies and in an area where the safety of civilians remained an active concern,” Gahler says. “Having been forced into a situation to employ deadly force and take a life is an action etched into these officers’ minds forever.”
Gahler alleges that Fauver’s wife, who was in the process of divorcing him, bought one of the guns for him. Gahler says this was illegal and that he relayed this information to federal authorities for possible prosecution.
Cary Hansel, of Baltimore law firm Hansel Law, which is representing the family, said Gahler’s comments were appalling.
“It’s outrageous any elected official would attack a grieving widow,” Hansel said. “Their personal lives were difficult because of Mr. Fauver’s struggles with his mental health. But to attack someone during this time of grieving is outrageous. By continuing to rail on this decision, he is putting at risk future settlements, which means his officers can find themselves [the subject of] individual claims in the future. He’s not only attacking a widow, but he is undermining the government’s ability to protect officers from personal liability.”
After the shooting, Fauver’s family sent a letter to the county threatening a lawsuit, arguing that the incident showed that the sheriff’s office had a problem dealing with a mental health crisis.
“It is sad that the sheriff uses his bully pulpit to pick on a grieving widow,” Hansel said. “He should move on and be thankful we’re not taking his deposition right now. The sheriff is the one who was found in violation of the law when he was ordered by a Circuit Court judge to hand over the records he unlawfully withheld in this case. Maybe instead of attacking widows, he should focus on his own compliance with the law.”
Jeffrey Bloomquist, the county attorney, recommended that the County Council approve a $1 million payout in connection with the shooting. The council approved the payout on April 16.
Harford County’s insurer will pay $650,000 toward the settlement with the balance of $350,000 coming from county government. However, in agreeing to the payout, the county does not admit wrongdoing by the sheriff’s office, County Executive Bob Cassilly said in a news release.
The Harford County executive’s office declined to comment on Gahler’s most recent video. Bloomquist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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