Three D.C. police officers were shot and one suspect was killed Monday after police said he opened fire twice in the lobby of a residential building in Northeast, police say.
Derrick Williams, 45, fired shots in an apartment building in the 300 block of Florida Ave NE, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said. Officers responded about 4:30 a.m. to a 911 call.
Officers encountered Williams in the apartment lobby of i5 Union Market, and he ran into an elevator, Smith said.
A few minutes later, Williams exited the elevator and again ran into officers in the lobby, Smith said. The officers tried to take the suspect into custody, according to Smith.
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Williams fired a handgun and officers shot back, the chief said.
Three officers were struck by gunfire. Other officers gave Williams first aid, but he died on the scene, Smith said. His name was not immediately released. Williams is from Northeast D.C., according to a D.C. police press release.
The injured officers were rushed to a nearby hospital. The officers are stable, and they were alert when taken for treatment, Smith said. She said she would go to the hospital after speaking.
One officer was struck in the wrist, one was hit in the buttocks and a third sustained a wound to his face, two law enforcement sources familiar with the shooting told News4.
“This is yet another reminder of the daily dangers we face in our city and across the U.S.,” Smith said. “I'm very grateful that our officers were able to get through this particular incident without any further injuries.”
In a statement, D.C. Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton said the officers are expected to be released from the hospital within a day.
Residents who live in the area expressed safety concerns after the shooting. Antaysia Thomas, a resident who lives nearby, said the incident made her "scared" and pointed out that this happened in a luxury apartment.
"I love D.C. and I want to stay in D.C.," Thomas said. "This would make me question if that's something I want to do if someone's dying."
Jade Womack, a resident who lives across the street, captured several police cars lined up as the incident was happening. She said that it's common for people to follow behind someone else into the apartment buildings and that it's an issue for several buildings in the area.
"At these off hours like at 5:30, most of the people that work in these buildings, they are temps or they're hired security," Womack said. "They don't really know the residents and so oftentimes people will come in and I think for two people to be the doorkeepers of like 300, 400 residents and have to know all of them----it's really tough for them and it puts them in a hard position."
MPD’s Internal Affairs Division is investigating, along with the Criminal Investigations Division. The case will be independently reviewed by the U.S. attorney’s office, Smith said.
The officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave, in accordance with D.C. police policy.
The shooting happened near the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro station, blocks from the popular Union Market.
A swarm of police cars were seen on Florida Avenue NW Monday morning. Several streets were closed, including:
- Florida Ave NE between 2nd and 4th Street NE
- 3rd Street NE between Florida Avenue and M Street NE
Road closures could change, and anyone in the area is asked to follow police directions. As of 11 a.m., police reduced the crime scene to the front of i5 Union Market and were helping traffic get through.
DC Police Union flags staffing 'crisis'
Pemberton, the head of the DC Police Union, said he wonders if the situation would have been different with more officers on the scene. He said staffing is at a 50-year low.
“It’s hard to armchair quarterback this specific incident, but what I would say is, generally speaking, when you have the correct number of officers who respond quickly to situations like this, they are less likely to escalate to this level of violence,” he said. “And so what we’re calling for from the union is to make sure city leaders understand we are at crisis-level staffing.”
MPD’s effectiveness is reduced by the excessive overtime officers are now working, Pemberton said.
“Last year, in fiscal year 2024, we used 2 million hours of overtime. That’s $133 million of taxpayer money going to overtime, most of which was mandatory – officers compelled to work. They are trying to get the work of two police officers out of every one police officer.”
There are just over 3,200 sworn police officers on the force, down from 3,800 a few years ago.
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