WASHINGTON, DC – A routine morning patrol in the southeast district of Washington D.C. took a violent turn when a seasoned officer was shot by an armed suspect, leading to the apprehension of two individuals, as reported by D.C. Housing Authority Police Chief Michael Reese.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of the day, around 5:45 a.m., near Carroll Apartments on M Street SE, in proximity to the Navy Yard. The officer, during his regular patrol, encountered a male and a female suspect. Upon being asked to leave the premises, the male suspect retaliated by opening fire on the officer, striking him in the torso.
In an attempt to evade capture, the suspects fled to a building located in the 900 block of U Street, NW. The pair barricaded themselves inside, leading to a standoff that lasted several hours before they were eventually apprehended by police.
The incident sparked a large-scale response from local law enforcement, including officers from both the Housing Authority Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. The heightened police activity resulted in road closures and a two-hour delay at the nearby Van Ness Elementary School. The school was evacuated, and students were safely transported to Jefferson Elementary School under police escort.
The wounded officer, who had been wearing a protective vest, was rushed to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition and alert, as confirmed by the Housing Authority.
During the course of the investigation, residents were advised to remain indoors and secure their homes. The D.C. Housing Authority Police, under the leadership of former D.C. police commander Michael Reese, is responsible for maintaining security in the city’s public housing developments.
This incident marks the second occasion in the span of four months that an officer from the Housing Authority Police has been involved in a shooting. A previous incident in October saw an off-duty officer shot on New York Avenue in Northeast Washington.