WASHINGTON — An officer from the D.C. Police Department shot a suspect who is accused of barricading himself in his Northeast home Tuesday afternoon.
According to D.C. Police, officers were called to McDonald Place after a person was shot with a BB gun that had an orange tip just after 12 p.m.
When officers arrived they found an unidentified man allegedly holding a large machete. Police say the man pulled a firearm from his waistband that did not match the description of the previously reported BB gun.
According to Executive Assistant Chief of Police at the DC Police Department Ashan Benedict, the man went back into his home after officers arrived and barricaded himself in the basement.
Benedict said officers recognized the need for mental health assistance behavioral health members arrived on scene alongside crisis intervention officers.
The man has a history of trying to burn the home that he was barricaded in down, according to Benedict. Officers spoke with the man for three hours before noticing the smell of smoke coming from the home.
Police said their preliminary investigation revealed the man lit an accelerant on fire on the basement steps, prompting members of the Emergency Response team to enter the basement.
When officers reached the bottom of the stairs, Benedict said MPD officers turned the corner and the individual discharges what appeared to be a firearm at the officers, there were visible holes in the wall. After that one of the officers rounded a corner and shot at the man. The man was taken to a nearby hospital and is in critical but stable condition.
Benedict said officers recovered a "very large" machete and what MPD called a paintball gun.
The officer involved in the shooting was not injured.
Police have identified the barricaded man as 25-year-old Jaron Wimbish of Northeast D.C. Wimbish was arrested Tuesday and charged with Assault on a Police Officer While Armed, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Arson.
The MPD officers involved in this shooting have been placed on administrative leave. Body worn camera footage is being reviewed, according to police.
The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.