Victim Dies at Hospital After Scuffle With Officers
By Theola Labbé-DeBose
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2008
A D.C. police officer shot and fatally wounded a knife-wielding man yesterday in a confrontation inside a Northwest Washington apartment building, police said.
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said the trouble began about 10:15 a.m., when dispatchers received a 911 call alerting them to an attempted suicide at the apartment building in the 1300 block of N Street NW. Two officers approached a man who was holding a knife, she said, and a scuffle ensued.
During the struggle, one of the officers opened fire, she said. It was not clear how many rounds were fired or where the man was hit. He was taken to a hospital, where he died a short time later.
Police did not release the man's name, pending notification of family. Neither officer was hurt.
Officials did not identify the officers. Lanier said that one has 21 years of experience on the force and that the other recently graduated from the police academy. The younger officer was teamed with the veteran, who helps train newer police officers.
Based on preliminary interviews, Lanier said it appears that only the veteran officer fired a weapon. The department team that investigates use of force was on the scene, collecting evidence and talking to the officers.
Lanier, who raced to the scene after cutting short an appearance on WTOP's "Ask the Chief" program, said that she had spoken with the officers and that they were physically fine but upset. "They're shaken up," she said.
Based on the initial interviews and other information Lanier received, she said it appears that the officers responded appropriately to a threat.
"I feel real comfortable . . . that these officers did act in defense of their life," the chief said.
The apartment building has eight columns on the outside and is known as the Iowa building. It is a block south of Logan Circle.
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