Suspect in fatal shootings in Maryland has Maitland connection

A man wanted for running from Maitland Police is making national headlines.  Investigator say 10 months ago, the same David Evans who is accused of killing two deputies in Maryland on Thursday, was found parked in the back of a parking lot of a closed business in Maitland, sleeping in his car.  When the officer started calling in the license plate number of the car Evans was in,  MPD says he took off. 

Like police departments across the country, Maitland Police have had their minds and their hearts on what happened in Maryland yesterday.  "It's pretty frightening, "said Lt. Louise Grindle with the MPD.

Investigators in Harford, Maryland  say one deputy walked up to a disheveled-looking man sitting in a Panera to ask how he was doing when the suspect, who has been identified as 67-year-old David Evans, pulled out a gun and shot the deputy in the head. 

"The first deputy that was lost yesterday was Pat Daily Sr.  He was a 30-year veteran," a spokesperson Harford Sheriffs Office told reporters.  After fleeing the scene, deputies found Evans sitting in his car the parking lot of a retirement community, the first deputy to respond was shot and killed. "The second deputy that was lost yesterday is Sr. Deputy Mark Logsdon," said the spokesperson. 

Investigators say that Evans had a warrant out for his arrest there in Maryland as well as the one here in Orange County.  "It's our belief because he knew there was a warrant out for his arrest and what the ultimate outcome of that encounter was going to be would have been his arrest, that is why he took the action against the police officer," said the spokesperson.

According to the incident report written by Maitland Police month ago, one of their officers approached a car suspiciously parked behind a business that was closed for the night.  Lt. Grindle says his officer asked Evans what he was doing there, and Evans replied that he worked there, had arrived early and was napping. 

"Coming into contact with him, he was very nervous, jittery, giving different information when he was asking questions about where he worked," said Lt. Grindle.  Then Grindle says as his officer was calling Evans' tag number into dispatch, Evans abruptly turned his car on and drove off.  "Mr. Evans fled the scene drove erratically, recklessly, leaving the city," explained Grindle. 

The Maitland officer pursued Evans for a short distance, according to the report.  "I believe he described it as reckless, erratic, all over the roadway, whatever he could do to get away from the scene at the time," said Lt. Grindle. Since it just appeared as though Evans was driving a stolen car, per department policy, the report says the officer turned off his lights and sirens, and ended his pursuit.  After positively identifying Evans through the law enforcement data base, Maitland Police put out a warrant for Evans arrest. 

Lt. Grindle is heartbroken about the deaths of his brothers in uniform.  "It's a big tragedy for law enforcement all together," said Lt. Grindle.

Investigators say before being killed, they believe Deputy Mark Logsdon fired three shots at Evans.  Maryland investigators say deputies coming from a different direction fired at Evans and killed him.  Detectives say Evans had a semi-automatic handgun in his car.