A D.C. police officer fatally shot a man who was reportedly having a mental health crisis Wednesday after officials say he jumped out of an ambulance, ran through traffic and came at officers with a “metal object.”
The shooting happened near the intersection of North Capitol Street and New York Avenue, according to D.C. police.
In a news release Thursday, D.C. police identified the man as 41-year-old Clifford Brooks, of Northeast D.C. The officer who shot him is a 31-year veteran who serves as a crisis intervention officer and a member of the department’s Emergency Response Team’s Auxiliary Negotiator Unit, police said. The shooting was captured on the officer’s body-worn camera, and the footage is expected to be released in the coming days.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said the chaotic incident started unfolding shortly before 6:45 a.m. that morning.
Police and D.C. Fire and EMS officials were responding to a 911 caller who reported a man was having a mental health crisis in the 2500 block of Benning Road.
After talking with first responders, the man agreed to be taken to a local hospital, Smith said, but while he was being transported he “became agitated and assaulted a firefighter paramedic inside the ambulance as it was traveling through the tunnel at the North Capitol Street”
When the vehicle pulled over, Smith said the man jumped out and started running into the street. Police were riding behind the ambulance but when they tried to take the man into custody, Smith said he assaulted a responding officer.
“OC spray was deployed to attempt to stop the assault and to take the individual into custody,” Smith said. “The OC spray did not take effect, and the individual ran through traffic onto North Capitol Street.”
The man hid underneath a truck and when confronted by police, that’s when he emerged with a “metal object,” Smith said.
“As officers continued to give directions to the to the subject to drop the object while retreating, the individual continued to move towards them with the object,” Smith said. “At that time, one of our officers discharged his firearm, the ambulance crew immediately drove down to the bottom of the tunnel to provide life-saving efforts and measures to the individual.”
Despite those efforts, police said the man died. No one else was seriously injured or taken to the hospital.
When asked whether the man was holding a gun, Smith said it was under investigation.
The shooting will be independently investigated by U.S. Attorney’s Office and the officer has been placed on administrative duty per departmental policy.
Some nearby roads were shut down for hours as police investigated, including North Capitol Street between P and M streets and the Unit Block of O Street, NW, according to police.
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli reported that traffic was backed up around the scene as a result.
Here’s a map of the area where police said the shooting happened:
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.
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