An off duty Pentagon police officer shot and killed two people he believed were breaking into a car in Maryland early Wednesday, according to local police.
The Takoma Park Police Department said that an unnamed officer for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency shot and killed Dominique Williams, 32, and James Lionel Johnson, 38, both of Maryland.
Shortly after 5 a.m. TPPD officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired at the Takoma Overlook Condominiums on New Hampshire Avenue.
After they arrived the officers were approached by an off duty PFPA officer who stated that he had fired his service weapon at suspects, saying they fled after not obeying his commands when he confronted them for what he believed was an in-progress car break-in.
The two victims, Williams and Johnson, were transported to Prince George Hospital where they later died from gunshot wounds, the Takoma Park Police said.
“We understand that there is tremendous public interest in this case,” the Takoma Park Police wrote. “We ask that the public remain patient as we fully investigate the incident.”
The Montgomery County State Attorney’s office is reviewing and investigating, the police said.
Jacqueline Yost, spokesperson for the PFPA, said that the officer in question has been with the PFPA since July 2019.
“He was previously a federal police officer, 2009 – 2019, and also served as a U.S. Army Military policeman and in the US Air Force as a combat crewman. The officer is current on all use of force and firearms qualifications,” Yost wrote.
According to NBC News Washington, the PFPA officer who shot the two people is on administrative leave.
