A man is in the hospital after being shot by a D.C. police officer in Southeast Friday night.
Assistant Chief Andre Wright said officers received a call just after 7 p.m. for a man assaulting a woman inside a home on Savannah and 19th streets.
When police arrived, the man ran away. When they caught up with the man, he showed a gun. According to the primary investigation, one officer gave multiple commands to the man to drop the weapon, but he did not comply. After the final request, the officer fired one shot, striking the suspect.
“The officer then began to give more multiple commands to this individual to drop the firearm; he would not drop the firearm,” Wright said. “The officer then discharged his weapon one more time, striking him a second time.”
With the second shot, officers placed the man under arrest and recovered his firearm, police said. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Emergency crews treated the woman at the scene. Wright said she was “brutally assaulted.” However, she was not taken to the hospital.
“The injuries were obviously significant, and there’s going to be trauma there,” Wright said. “We’re gonna be working with her and the family, obviously, far beyond this event, but domestic violence is the serious issue, and the Metropolitan Police Department is working with the community to make sure that we address a very serious issue.”
Police say the pair are in a domestic relationship. The preliminary investigation also revealed that the argument began verbally before becoming a physical altercation. Wright also said that while they do not believe the man used his weapon while he assaulted the woman, crime scene investigators are combing through the scene to make sure.
The department’s internal affairs division will investigate the shooting and review the officer’s body camera footage. Anyone with information about the incident is also asked to call 202-727-9099.
Below is a map of where the incident took place.
