Police officer justified in Fairland shooting, investigators say

A Montgomery County police officer was justified in shooting a man in Fairland on July 23, Howard County investigators have concluded. Officer Edward Cochran fatally shot Jean Carlos Natera-Perez in his Mozart Drive townhome, after police on the scene concluded Perez and his actions were endangering his 3-year-old son, who was also in the home.

Lethal force was authorized when officers entered the home after a long standoff, which concluded when Perez allegedly was in the process of starting fires inside the home.