Two officers and a suspect were shot Friday after police in Maryland were called to investigate a suspicious man with a gun in an intersection, authorities said.
All three were flown to a hospital in Baltimore, said Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando. He identified the officers as Bryan Snyder, 43, who is in his second year on the force, and Kristen Kowalsky, 32, a nine-year veteran of the department. Both were shot in the torso, said Dr. Thomas Scalea of Shock Trauma in Baltimore, adding that their conditions are stable and they are awake. They have been released from the hospital.
"It is such a tough time. These officers go out on the street every day,'' Lando said. "They risk their lives, they want to do the best job they can for the community. So it's very disheartening as a police chief.''
Lando told an afternoon news conference that at 12:43 p.m., the officers were dispatched to the call about a suspicious man with a gun.
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The chief said when the officers reached the scene, "an incident'' took place that led to the shooting. He did not elaborate.
“Two Frederick City Police officers responded, walked up and approached the person in a non-confrontational manner,” said Todd Wivell of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. “They did everything they could to deescalate any situation.”
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The suspect was identified as Dominique Lamarr Lewis, 25, of Hampton, Virginia. Lewis underwent surgery, Scalea said, after being shot in the torso. He is still being treated at the hospital.
Lewis was charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, first-degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Maryland State Police said.
Asked if all three were expected to survive, Scalea said, "I hope so.''
The officers had body cameras, but Lando said the footage hadn't yet been reviewed. Police said they recovered the suspect's gun.
Maryland State Police is leading the investigation.
Several schools in the area were briefly placed on lockout status, meaning doors are locked and students and staff go inside, where activities are conducted as usual, Frederick County Public Schools tweeted.
The Office of the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division and the Maryland State Police will investigate the shooting, Lando said.
Lando thanks the community for an outpouring of support in a statement Saturday morning.
"Watching helicopters lift off from the scene with our cops inside was the hardest thing I have witnessed in a long time," his statement read. "I am so thankful that both are going to make a full recovery."
Stay with NBC Washington for more on this developing story.
