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Video Shows Moments Before Montgomery County Deputy Kills Erratic Driving Suspect

Nbcwashington · · 489 words · By Sophia Barnes; NBC Washington Staff
Public safety Officer-involved shooting
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What to know about Public safety

A Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an erratic driving suspect on Saturday after authorities say the suspect caused two collisions, went after crash victims and struck a deputy with a piece of wood.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an erratic driving suspect on Saturday after authorities say the suspect caused two collisions, went after crash victims and struck a deputy with a piece of wood.

Why it matters

Kevin Costlow of Laytonsville was killed, the county police department said in an update Sunday.

Common ground

Costlow was 52 and a semi-retired information security consultant.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/montgomery-county-deputy-shoots-kills-e…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 6
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “The driver forced one vehicle to swerve into a telephone pole, resulting in no injuries”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this specific claim in the provided search results.
check_circle
Claim 2: “Kevin Costlow of Laytonsville was killed”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (YouTube 'Police Brutality Matters' and 'The Chicago Garage') identify the person killed as Kevin Costlow.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kevin - Wikipedia. Jump to content. Main menu. move to sidebarhide. Navigation . Main page. Contents. Current events. Random article. About Wikipedia. Contact us. Contribute . Help. Learn to edit. Com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Toggle Voice cast and characters subsection. 2.1Main. 2.2Guest. 3Episodes. 4Production. 5Release. 6Music. 7Reception.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_(TV_Series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kevin: Created by Aubrey Plaza, Joe Wengert. With Jason Schwartzman, Amy Sedaris, Aparna Nancherla, Gil Ozeri. A life-long housecat decides that he doesn't want to live with people anymore.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32499838/
info
Claim 3: “The deputy fired his weapon after the suspect hit him in the head and neck the wood”
SINGLE SOURCE
The iFunny result mentions the suspect struck the deputy with wood, but the specific detail about the 'head and neck' is not independently corroborated by the other provided search results, which are generic Wikipedia entries for 'Deputy'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A deputy is often called upon to make decision which directly influence outcomes and policies, as such they typically possess specialized training and qualifications akin to their superior.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deputy
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Deputy (TV series) - Wikipedia. Jump to content. Main menu. move to sidebarhide. Navigation . Main page. Contents. Current events. Random article. About Wikipedia. Contact us. Contribute . Help. Learn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deputy_(TV_series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — From first hire to final pay, Deputy makes the hard parts of shift work simple with truly actionable AI, helping you improve profitability and simplify compliance.
https://www.deputy.com/
schedule
Claim 4: “He [the deputy] is now on routine administrative leave”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “The police agencies will work with the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office and Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “The deputy was struck with the wood and then pulled out his Taser, which didn’t stop the suspect”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 7: “Costlow was 52 and a semi-retired information security consultant”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Kevin Costlow was 52 and a former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), which aligns with the 'information security consultant' description.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2003 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Penn_State_Nittany_Lions_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Missouri House of Representatives election took place on November 5, 2024, as part of the biennial 2024 United States elections. It was held alongside numerous other federal, state, and local…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Missouri_House_of_Represe…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marla Smith is an American politician who was elected member of the Missouri House of Representatives for the 74th district in 2024. Smith is a former Pagedale alderwoman. She has three children and t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marla_Smith
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “Deputies do have body-worn cameras”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 9: “The suspect then smashed into another car and continued driving the wrong way down MD-108”
SINGLE SOURCE
Wikipedia confirms MD-108 exists in Montgomery County, and the iFunny result mentions two cars were struck, but the specific detail of driving the wrong way on MD-108 is not independently corroborated by a second news source in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for 1,043.3 miles (1,679.0 km) from Pensacola, Florida, to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. In the U.S. state…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_29_in_Maryland
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maryland Route 108 (MD 108) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 34.23 miles (55.09 km) from MD 27 in Damascus east to MD 175 in Columbia. MD 108 is an S-shaped highway t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_108
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maryland Route 650 (MD 650) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs 25.89 mi (41.67 km) from Eastern Avenue at t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_650
info
Claim 10: “the suspect caused two collisions, went after crash victims and struck a deputy with a piece of wood”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result (iFunny, quoting Police Chief Marcus Jones) mentions the suspect struck a deputy with a large piece of wood and caused two car crashes. Other results are generic definitions of 'suspect' and do not provide corroboration.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Suspect (TV series) - Wikipedia. Jump to content. Main menu. move to sidebarhide. Navigation . Main page. Contents. Current events. Random article. About Wikipedia. Contact us. Contribute . Help. Lear…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspect_(TV_series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Suspect(1987 film) 17 languages. Català.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspect_(1987_film)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of SUSPECT is regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion : suspected. How to use suspect in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspect
info
Claim 11: “The deputy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening”
SINGLE SOURCE
While there are search results about deputies being hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, they refer to different incidents (Ontario, Florida, Goodhue County) and not the specific Kevin Costlow incident.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Deputies report the investigation of a two-car crash on Slocum Road in Ontario. One person was sent to the hospital with non life threatening injuries.
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2022/07/07/deputies-one-hospita…
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web search NEUTRAL — Responding deputies were able to free him, and he was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital with lower body injuries. He remained in stable condition Wednesday, officials said. The 20-year-old Homest…
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/deputy-hospitalized-afte…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A Goodhue County deputy was hospitalized after his parked squad vehicle was struck by a motorist on Saturday afternoon.The deputy was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, accordin…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/deputy-hospitalized-driv…
schedule
Claim 12: “The suspect was treated on the scene and then pronounced dead”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: “The suspect's vehicle broke down after the crash. Then, the suspect got out with “a large wooden stick of some sort" and approached the people in the other car”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “Two other people were injured but declined to be taken to the hospital”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 15: “The incident started about 8 a.m. Saturday as “numerous” phone calls flooded in about someone in a Volkswagen sedan driving erratically out of Laytonsville”
SINGLE SOURCE
The iFunny result specifically mentions the incident happened around 8 a.m. Saturday and involved reports of a man driving erratically. No other independent source in the provided evidence confirms these specific details.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Experience the chaos of driving erratically in San Antonio. Learn about the dangers of unpredictable drivers and witness wild road moments.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/driving-erratically-in-san-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Explore the latest Volkswagen vehicle models, discover exclusive offers, stay updated with the latest information, and check out pricing details.
https://www.vw.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The incident happened around 8 a.m. Saturday. Montgomery County police received several 911 calls Saturday morning of a man driving erratically in the area. Police Chief Marcus Jones said two cars wer…
https://ifunny.co/picture/the-man-struck-the-deputy-with-a-l…
check_circle
Claim 16: “A Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an erratic driving suspect on Saturday”
CORROBORATED
The Washington Post and other web results confirm a fatal shooting by a Montgomery County sheriff's deputy. While some search results refer to different Montgomery Counties (Texas/Ohio), the specific context of the other claims aligns with the Washington Post report regarding a deputy shooting a suspect.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Indep…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 620,443, and was estimated to be 781,194 in 2025. Its county seat is Conroe. Montgomery County is pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County,_Texas
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Paper of Montgomery County is a daily newspaper in Montgomery County, Indiana. Its first issue was dated November 24, 2004; The Paper currently publishes Monday-Saturday, and is delivered to subsc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paper_of_Montgomery_County
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 17: “Cellphone video obtained by News4 shows a man with a long stick appearing to yell at a deputy who is pointing a gun at him. The man advances toward the deputy and repeatedly hits him in the head with the stick”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results for 'cellphone video' refer to origami, suicide, and a fight on Atlantic Boulevard, none of which relate to the News4 video of this specific incident.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In this video, you will learn how to make a paper dart from a sticky note. It's super easy to fold, and all you need is a Post-it Note! I’ve received lots of requests for this design recently, so I de…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXqCOg_1tQ8
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web search NEUTRAL — A 33-year-old Army veteran from Mississippi who served in Iraq shot himself in the head live on Facebook — and social media sites are still scrambling to remove the harrowing footage, which went viral…
https://clicksfromthepit.com/facebook-live-suicide-video-man…
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web search NEUTRAL — It's unclear what prompted the men to get out of their vehicles on Atlantic Boulevard and start arguing, but the video appears to show one man punching the other man. News4Jax crime and safety expert …
https://www.news4jax.com/news/2019/10/30/cellphone-video-app…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.