A Forest Heights officer shot and injured a man who was armed with what police say appeared to be a knife at a busy shopping center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Monday night.
Rivertowne Commons Marketplace, at 6235 Oxon Hill Road, was full of people running errands at about 5:30 p.m. when officers pulled over a driver in the parking lot, according to the Forest Heights Police Department.
The vehicle was wanted in connection with an assault that happened in a neighboring jurisdiction. Police ordered the driver to get out of the car, Forest Heights Deputy Police Chief Kirk Banton said.
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When the suspect got out of the vehicle, he was armed with what an officer believed to be a knife but was later determined to be a silver, multipurpose tool. Police told him to put the weapon down, but he refused, and the officer opened fire, Banton said.
“During the encounter with the armed suspect, one officer discharged his duty-issued weapon, striking the suspect,” Banton said.
The man, identified as Jhomari Delevante of Silver Spring, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He is charged with possession of a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest.
The shooting was captured on body cam video that has yet to be released. The shooting remains under investigation by Prince George's County police.
The shooting marks the third time in two days that a D.C.-area officer shot a suspect.
Early Sunday morning, a Prince George's County police officer shot Raphael Coates, 40, of District Heights, after a reported home invasion on Addison Road South.
Police said Coates had stabbed someone he knew in a fight over money. When officers responded, he approached them with a piece of lumber in his hands and one officer fired. Coates survived the shooting. He faces attempted murder, assault and home invasion charges.
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In Virginia on Sunday, a Herndon police officer shot a man who allegedly stabbed his wife in the chest. When officers responded, he approached officers with a knife, according to police. The suspect’s name and his charges were not immediately released. The husband and wife were both hospitalized.
This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for updates.
