Three people were wounded this morning in an altercation that involved an off-duty D.C. police officer in northwest Washington.
At about 5:25 a.m. Friday, Officer Kenneth Furr was involved in a confrontation with five other people -- some of whom are transgender -- in the 100 block of Pierce Street NW. The officer discharged his weapon, wounding one person.
"During the course of that confrontation, the off-duty officer fired at the individuals in the other car," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.
In the melee, two others were injured, although the cause of those injuries is still being investigated. None of the injuries is life-threatening.
“I am deeply troubled by the apparent circumstances surrounding this incident and await the results of a full MPD investigation,” Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement released Friday evening. “These are serious charges, and they are particularly disturbing to have been brought against one who is sworn to protect and serve.”
Police are still piecing together what led to the incident.
Furr was charged with driving while intoxicated and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
He works the midnight shift in the Fifth District and has been accused of wrongdoing in the past. According to a 1999 article in the City Paper, Furr and another officer were on duty when they allegedly had a drunken argument with a woman and her son in a Northwest apartment building. Furr was placed on administrative leave while the case was reviewed by internal affairs, and Furr beat the case before the police trial board and returned to duty.