A private contractor arrested when he showed up for work at the White House Tuesday is accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend last month, authorities said.
Martese Maurice Edwards, 30, of Suitland, Maryland, was charged in the district with being a fugitive from justice on an arrest warrant from Maryland county. Police said he was wanted on a charge of attempted first-degree murder.
Edwards waived extradition in court Wednesday and could face his charge in Prince George's County this week.
Edwards is accused of shooting the victim on May 3 in the 4200 block of Suitland Road, Prince George's County officials said.
“The victim in this case obviously is still alive,” said John Erzen, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. “He was obviously critically injured at the time.”
Prince George’s County police issued a warrant for Edwards’ arrest May 17, according to the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Marshals task force launched a search for Edwards the next day.
“As to why it was not seen by the Secret Service until June 4, that’s a question that they would have to answer,” Erzen said.
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Secret Service officers arrested Edwards at a checkpoint when when he reported for work about noon Tuesday, according to a statement from the Secret Service Wednesday. He was taken to a Metropolitan Police Department station for processing.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Secret Service said it was not contacted by any law enforcement agency about Edwards in May.
"It is understood that the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office (PGCSO) entered limited information pertaining to the active arrest warrant for Edwards into a national database on May 17, 2018," the statement said.
When "identifiable" information was added to the database by the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office on June 4, the Secret Service received an alert from the Criminal Justice Information System that Edwards was the subject of an active warrant, the statement said. The agency did not say what identifiable information was added.
A White House spokesperson was unable to say what the contractor's job was or to what areas of the White House he had access with his contractor's pass. But a federal law enforcement official said Edwards did work for the National Security Council in the Old Executive Office Building next to the White House and did not have access to the West Wing.
It wasn't immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
