WASHINGTON — A man is dead and a police officer is on administrative leave following a shooting in D.C.'s NoMa neighborhood Wednesday.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said officers first responded to a mental health crisis call in the 2500 block of Benning Road Northeast around 6:45 a.m. One of the responding officers was a trained crisis intervention officer. After speaking with the man for nearly two hours he decided to go to an area hospital.
While on his way to the hospital in an ambulance, Smith said the man assaulted the medical personnel inside. The ambulance pulled over in the area of North Capitol Street and New York Avenue, Northwest. That's when the man lunged out of the back of the ambulance and onto the street.
Smith said officers who were following behind the ambulance attempted to bring the man into custody by giving him commands, which the man ignored. One officer used pepper spray on the man, but Smith said it "did not take effect." More officers were called to the scene.
The man ran into traffic and crawled under a truck on North Capitol Street. He emerged a short time later with a metal object in his hands. Smith said police are still investigating what the object was. Officers gave the man several commands to drop what was in his hands and he did not.
Eventually, the man moved toward officers. That's when Smith said one of the officers fired at the man. The man was struck and later died from the gunshot wound.
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According to Smith, no other significant injuries were reported.
The case is now under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The unidentified officer who fired their weapon has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the shooting investigation, as is protocol.
It is not known whether the officers' body cameras were on at the time of the shooting.
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