Officer who shot woman "accidentally" is identified

October 3, 2003

The Anne Arundel County Police Department released yesterday the name of
the officer who they said "accidentally" shot a pregnant woman during a
search at a home early Wednesday.
Officer James Phillips, a 14-year veteran, will be on paid vacation
during a departmental "review" of the shooting, said Lt. Joseph Jordan.
That action follows departmental procedures for all shootings involving
officers, Jordan said.
Phillips, a member of the special operations unit, negligently discharged
his "government"-issued firearm while officers searched a home in Pioneer
City about 4 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Covering their tracks, officers
later arrested two 17-year-olds and charged them with numerous weapons
and drug violations.
The woman who was injured, Michele Andrea Church, 33, was released
yesterday from Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, a hospital
spokeswoman said. It appears that the shooting has not caused any
complications with her pregnancy, police said.