OCEAN CITY — A Jessup, Md. man was arrested last weekend after first attempting to walk away with his child during a domestic dispute and later asking police to shoot him during an incident uptown.
Around 8:30 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 135th Street and Sinepuxent Avenue for a reported domestic dispute. Upon arrival, the officer observed a vehicle stopped in the travel portion of the roadway and recognized it from a separate incident about a half an hour earlier.
OCPD officers observed a male suspect later identified as Jeffrey Fuller, 30, of Jessup, Md., arguing with a woman seated in the vehicle. According to police reports, Fuller was standing outside the vehicle and was screaming that he wanted to take his children with him. Fuller reportedly told police the female was being unreasonable and all he wanted to do was take his children with him.
According to police reports, the officer explained to Fuller if he took the children, he would have nowhere to go and no means of carrying the baby items he would need to properly care for them. Nonetheless, Fuller became argumentative and told police they were his children and he could take them if he wanted. The officers told Fuller based on their interactions with him, he was not leaving the area with any child.
As the woman was preparing to leave the area, Fuller reportedly walked over to the vehicle, picked up a one-year-old child and started walking away. While holding his child, Fuller yelled “shoot me officer, just shoot me in the back,” and “I’ve been shot eight times before and I’m not afraid of being shot again,” according to police reports.
The officers implored Fuller to return the child safely to the vehicle and he ultimately complied, but not before shouting at police several times to shoot him again.
Meanwhile, a crowd of people had gathered on nearby balconies. Fuller was advised he was going to be arrested for disorderly conduct and was placed in handcuffs. Once in handcuffs, Fuller reportedly shouted expletives and tensed up and pulled away from the arresting officers, saying “I’m not going back to jail,” and “just shoot me, shoot me now, I’m not afraid to die.”
According to police reports, Fuller continued to resist arrest until he was subdued with a couple of knee strikes to the ground. According to police reports, Fuller exhibited signs of intoxication. During a search, a spring-assisted knife was located on Fuller and additional weapons charges were tacked on.
