Plainclothes police officers shot and killed a man Friday after he displayed a handgun in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Gaithersburg Police Chief Mark Sroka said the shooting took place shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday near the Chelsea Park Apartments on S. Frederick Avenue.
The officers wore plainclothes as part of the department’s street crimes unit. They surveilled the suspect, believing he had a firearm.
Once they approached the suspect and identified themselves, the suspect fled across across Maryland Route 355’s six-lane road, Sroka said.
The suspect led the officers into a grassy sidewalk area near the apartments. He then revealed a handgun.
“The suspect displayed a handgun and at least one or more Gaithersburg officers discharged their department-issued firearms,” Sroka said, adding a handgun was found at the scene.
The suspect was hit multiple times and died at the scene. No officers were hurt in the altercation. Sroka did not clarify how many officers responded to the incident.
The man was not immediately identified and Sroka said he had no initial details about why the officers knew he was armed.
Sroka said the officers would be placed on administrative leave while an investigation continues.
Police said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Below is an area of where the scene took place:
WTOP’s Luke Garrett and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
