Police: Officer fatally shoots man in northeast Washington

Source: Associated Press

Police: Officer fatally shoots man in northeast Washington

Jessica Gresko, Associated Press

Updated 4:36 pm, Monday, February 1, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who had a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun was fatally shot by a District of Columbia police officer Monday, authorities said.

The officer tried to stop the man, who was acting suspiciously, about 2 a.m., but the man fell as he tried to flee and the gun fell from his clothing, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at a news conference. The man then tried to gain control of the weapon, a BB gun that was a replica of a handgun, and didn't comply with the officer's commands, Lanier said.

The officer fired one round, striking the man, Lanier said. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said.

Lanier said the man has not yet been positively identified. In response to a question from a reporter, she said he was black and the officer, who has been on the force less than two years, is white. Race has not been raised as a factor in the shooting, but it comes amid a national debate about the deaths of black men at the hands of police.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-Officer-fatally-shoots-man-in-northeast-6797863.php