The Guard member was released from the hospital after a late-night shooting in Southeast Washington that also wounded the accused gunman.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A 41-year-old man is in custody and facing multiple charges after a National Guard member was shot while Guard troops tried to stop a fight in Southeast Washington, police said. The Guard member and the suspect suffered injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.
The shooting happened at about 11:10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in the 400 block of Eighth Street SE in the Barracks Row area, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Police said National Guard members assigned to patrol the corridor saw a fight outside an establishment and moved in to intervene. The encounter escalated when a person involved in the fight allegedly pulled out a gun and began firing, according to investigators.
Police identified the suspect as Jerrell Jackson of Southeast Washington. He was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon involving a gun, assault on a police officer and emergency personnel, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges are allegations, and the case has not been adjudicated. Police said a firearm attributed to Jackson was recovered at the scene.
According to the police account, Guard members saw the armed suspect and ordered him to drop the weapon. Investigators said the suspect instead tried to flee while firing toward the Guard members, striking one of them. Three Guard members then fired their weapons and struck the suspect. Police detained him at the scene until officers arrived.
D.C. Fire and EMS took the wounded Guard member and the suspect to area hospitals. Police described both sets of injuries as non-life-threatening. The Guard member, who has not been publicly identified, was shot in the leg and was later released from the hospital, according to local reporting citing the Joint Task Force-D.C., which oversees the Guard deployment in the capital. The suspect was wounded in the abdomen.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau and First District Detective Unit are investigating the shooting. The department said its Force Investigations Team is examining the Guard members’ use of firearms, as it does with law enforcement officer-involved shootings in the District. The U.S. attorney’s office will separately review the facts and evidence gathered in the case, police said.
The shooting also renewed attention on the establishment outside which the confrontation occurred. The Washington Post identified the business as Cafe 8, a hookah bar. D.C. Council member Charles Allen, whose Ward 6 district includes Barracks Row, called for an emergency closure of the business after saying the area has experienced repeated fights, shootings and other problems linked to crowds around the establishment. The Post reported that city alcohol regulators have previously examined incidents associated with the business. The shooting investigation itself remains separate from any administrative action involving the establishment.
The incident comes as National Guard troops continue to patrol parts of Washington under a deployment that began in August 2025. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment as part of his administration’s effort to address crime in the capital. Guard members have since supported federal and local operations and conducted patrols in city neighborhoods. The deployment has remained politically and legally disputed, with administration officials crediting it as part of a broader public-safety effort while D.C. officials and other critics have challenged the expanded military presence in the city.
The latest shooting was not described by police as an ambush or an attack specifically targeting Guard members. Authorities said the troops encountered a fight while patrolling and became involved when they attempted to intervene. Police have not publicly detailed what started the original dispute or identified the other people involved in that confrontation. Investigators have said there is no continuing threat to the community connected to the shooting.
Jackson remains accused of the offenses announced by police as investigators review evidence from the scene, including the recovered firearm and the circumstances surrounding the exchange of gunfire. The Guard member has been released from the hospital, and authorities have not announced additional injuries stemming from the encounter. The police department and U.S. attorney’s office are continuing their respective reviews.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.