WASHINGTON — A man gunned down another man inside a liquor store Wednesday afternoon in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and was then fatally shot by a Prince George’s County officer who was rushing toward the sound of gunshots.
Police said the man was still armed and running from the liquor store when he was confronted by the officer. The officer shouted several commands as the man advanced toward him, according to police.
“That individual pays no heed to those commands, and the officer is then in a position where he must discharge his weapon several times,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski during a news conference.
The shooting happened around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday inside the liquor store, located at Livingston and Oxon Hill roads, in a busy strip of stores.
Stawinski said it’s still unclear what led to the shooting inside the liquor store, although it did not involve any of the store’s employees.
The officer, who was on duty in an unmarked police car, was stopped at a light on Livingston Road about 25 yards away from the liquor store when the first shooting happened. The officer, who was in plain clothes, worked in the department’s robbery suppression unit but he was in the area “by happenstance,” Stawinski said.
The officer’s attention was drawn to the liquor store when he saw a group of people near the store begin running and then heard the sound of gunshots.
Stawinski said the shooting suspect fired several rounds inside the store, and police recovered the gun he used on his body after the officer shot and killed him.
There are about two dozen witnesses to the shooting, which was also partially captured on surveillance video, Stawinski said.
Livingston Road is closed in both directions at Oxon Hill Road as police investigate. Stawinksi said he anticipated the road closures would remain in effect for the next several hours.
Below is a map where the shooting happened.
WTOP has a reporter at the scene. This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP for updates.
