A Prince George's county man says he is still seeking answers after he claims he was almost shot by a Bowie Police officer.
The shooting happened on busy Collington Road in Bowie Thursday morning. The man says he got out of his vehicle to get a hat that had blown out of the car. That's when he says he was confronted by an officer who fired a shot.
That shot hit another vehicle that was not involved in the incident.
“I thought I died on that highway,” the man said.
He doesn't want to show his face or give his name, but he wants to share his story.
It was 8 a.m. when a Bowie police officer fired a shot, the man says, after confronting him while he was outside his girlfriend's car retrieving a hat that had blown out the window earlier.
His girlfriend and their kids were still in their jeep.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
“As I was approaching the car, the officer asked me, was I getting in the car, was I with her. I proceeded to say yes, and then all I heard was a shot fired, and then I dropped to the ground,” he said.
He dropped because he believed he'd been shot, but the bullet hit the side of a vehicle that was passing by.
“As soon as my ears stopped ringing, I turned around and asked the officer why did he shoot me,” he said.
But he didn't get that answer, and that's the center of an investigation
Bowie Police said the officer had pulled over to assist what was believed to be a stranded driver.
A statement from the department says, “Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer discharged their firearm. The reason for the discharge is being investigated. No one was injured, but an uninvolved vehicle passing by was struck.”
The man who was retrieving his hat said he never even saw the officer draw his weapon.
He shared a video, which he recorded himself, after the shooting
“Why did your officer shoot at me for no reason?” the man asked in the video
“Do you want them to check your head out?” the officer responded.
“Yes sir,” the man can be heard saying.
“Alright,” the officer responded.
The man says no one responded to his questions.
He told News4 he was not under investigation and was not given any commands before the shot was fired.
“I was never told to stop, put your hands up, get on the ground, stand here, none of that,” he said.
He's asking Bowie Police to release any body worn camera video that shows exactly what happened.
The Prince George's County Police Special Investigative response team is conducting the investigation.
Bowie's police chief says in-car and officer body camera will be reviewed as part of the investigation. The officer is on administrative leave.
