2 People Dead After Off-Duty Pentagon Police Officer Shot Them Multiple Times

Two people suspected of breaking into a car in Takoma Park, Maryland, died after an off-duty Pentagon police officer shot them multiple times.

The Takoma Park Police Department’s (TKPD) press release stated they received reports that gunfire was heard at the Takoma Overlook Condominium parking lot area in the 7300 block of New Hampshire Avenue Wednesday at around 5 a.m.

An off-duty Pentagon police officer reportedly told the responding officers that he saw two people attempting to break into a car. When confronted, the suspects immediately got into the vehicle and drove away. That's when the off-duty Pentagon police officer fired his service weapon and shot at them multiple times, police said, according to The Washington Post.

The two suspects received multiple gunshot wounds. They were both taken to Prince George’s Hospital, according to the police statement. Both people eventually succumbed to their injuries despite the medical help they received.

A notification of the incident was given to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) by the TKPD. The police stated that they are working with the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office regarding the shooting incident's investigation.

According to NBC Washington, the PFPA placed the off-duty Pentagon police officer on administrative leave.

The identities of the off-duty officer or the two suspects are not known to the public.

Later in the evening, however, a Department of Defense spokeswoman confirmed to WUSA9 that the officer had been with the agency since July 2019. According to a spokeswoman, the officer previously served as a federal police officer from 2009 to 2019, as well as a U.S. Army military policeman and a combat crewman in the U.S. Air Force.

In a similar incident in February, a police officer’s stray bullet hit a 5-year-old girl, which led to her death. The girl was playing outside her home when police officers started shooting at suspects nearby. One of the bullets fired strayed from its path and struck the little girl and she succumbed to death in the hospital later that day.