Two D.C. officers shot and killed a man who they say was armed with a gun and reached for their weapons.
This unfolded just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday outside a fast food restaurant on Marion Barry Avenue SE, in the Skyland neighborhood.
When police arrived, the scene was relatively calm, and there was not a lot of damage to the vehicle or the building.
A person who was at McDonald's provided cellphone video of the scene. That witness told News4 that before police arrived, there were at least two cars with sleeping drivers inside. They were holding up the drive-thru. The witness tried knocking on the window of those cars to wake them, to no avail.
The witness left the parking lot but continued to watch from nearby as more police began converging on the scene.
“The driver of the vehicle was still inside, however, he was unresponsive,” said Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith.
Smith said officers saw a gun in the driver’s possession and called for backup. Then, according to police, the driver of the car started moving inside the car. Officers tried to engage with the man by giving verbal commands. He was observed at that time to have a weapon, police said.
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There were more commands to drop that weapon, according to police.
“He had his weapon in his hand, he was told to drop the weapon, our officers extended their firearm, and the suspect grabbed his weapon at that time,” Smith said.
That’s when two officers opened fire.
The driver was pronounced dead on the scene, and police say a weapon was recovered.
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“And what I will say is this is just another reminder of the daily dangers that our officers face protecting the residents and visitors across the District of Columbia,” Smith said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
