WASHINGTON — The Anne Arundel County Police have identified a Crofton man who was shot by officers on Saturday is still in the hospital. They’ve also charged him and revealed that the gun he presented to officers was not real.
The police say that they were told early Saturday afternoon that Dallas Ruff, 21, of Chamberlain Court, had been sending text messages to the effect that he was considering harming himself or members of his family. They also say they received information that Ruff’s mother was in the house with him.
When the police got there, they say, they saw Ruff’s mother’s car in the driveway. When they knocked on the door and windows, no one let them in. Officers forced their way into the house, and when they did, Ruff “presented” a rifle-style gun, the police say. Lieutenant Harry Peterson then shot him in the abdomen.
Ruff was taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma and was listed in critical but stable condition on Sunday. He’s in stable condition on Wednesday. He’s been charged with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
The police say Ruff was holding a “realistic-looking” Gamo air rifle. They add that the Gamo website lists a warning that reads, in part, “Gamo air guns are not toys. … Do not brandish or display your air gun in public. It may confuse people and it may be a crime. Police and others may think an air gun is a firearm.”
An officer who used a pocketknife to cut Ruff’s shirt off to perform first aid accidentally cut his arm; he was treated at a hospital and released.
