WHEATON, Md. — The Maryland Office of the Attorney General has identified the man shot and killed by a Montgomery County police officer on September 21 as 31-year-old Melvin Omar Chavez-Paz, a Wheaton resident.
According to an update from the attorney general’s office, Corporal Cody Hobbs, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau, was the officer involved in the shooting. Police responded to a report of an assault in progress around 8 p.m. in the 3400 block of Janet Road.
Upon arrival, officers found Chavez-Paz in a yard holding an “object” in his right hand. After issuing several commands to “drop the knife,” he reportedly began crossing the street, prompting Hobbs to discharge his weapon, fatally wounding Chavez-Paz.
An investigation revealed a grill fork near Chavez-Paz at the scene. No officers sustained injuries during the incident, which is under investigation by the Independent Investigations Division.
