Questions Linger After Pr. George's Death

Shooting by Officer Spotlights Pressures on Police in Potentially Deadly Situations

In his basement bedroom in Northeast Washington, Charles Barnes displayed a gallery of grief against a backdrop of resolve: programs from funerals of loved ones -- a young cousin who perished in a fire, an uncle, the mother of his fiancee, a friend and a cousin who were shot to death and the memorial service handbill for his own mom, who died in his lap of a heart attack.

The memorial handbills are tucked into the frame of a poster displaying an inspirational poem about not quitting. Displayed on the top part of the frame above Barnes's bed is a printout that reads: "Good Morning, this is God! I will be handling all your problems today. I WILL NOT need your help. So have a blessed day."

Barnes, 21, a mason who got up at 5 a.m. every day to go to work, seemed an unlikely person to end up shot by police. But on the night of April 23, a Saturday when he was out drinking and playing cards with friends in a high-crime area of Suitland, he fired a gun twice into the air.

It got him killed.

When Prince George's police Cpl. Brian Padgett showed his own weapon and ordered Barnes to drop his handgun, the young man failed to do exactly as he was ordered.

According to police and two of Barnes's friends who witnessed the encounter, Barnes leaned behind the trunk of a car.

The two friends said Barnes was placing the gun on the ground; one of the friends said Barnes rose with his hands up. Police said Barnes took cover behind the car and pointed the gun at Padgett.

By then, according to the witnesses, Padgett already was firing.

One shot struck Barnes in the side of the head, relatives said. A week later, on April 30, Barnes died at Prince George's Hospital Center.

At a time when violent crime in the county is spiraling and police say they are encountering more gun-toting criminals on the street, the incident illustrates both the pressures on officers who confront armed suspects and the potentially deadly consequences of playing with a firearm.

So far this year, county police have fatally shot four suspects. The other three shootings involved carjackers who fired on police, a man who fired at an officer during a struggle and a man who fired at officers who were investigating a domestic dispute, police said.

Although the Barnes shooting is under investigation by county police and the office of the state's attorney, an independent police expert said there appears little doubt that Padgett acted appropriately.