Washington, D.C., police are hunting for a suspect after occupants of a vehicle fired at an off-duty officer in 16th Street Heights and later dumped two individuals wounded by gunfire at a local hospital.
An unidentified off-duty officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) heard gunfire coming from the 5200 block of Georgia Avenue in the area of 16th Street Heights at 7:28 p.m. Saturday and went to inspect the scene.
The officer saw a suspect enter a white viechle with other occupants inside. The officer identified himself as police and proceeded to give the suspect commands that were ignored. The suspect then pointed a gun at the cop, prompting the officer to fire his weapon before the vehicle fled with an unknown number of people inside, reports WUSA9.
A short time later, a white vehicle dropped off two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds at a local hospital. Police arrested 21-year old Curtis Fowler of Southwest, D.C. and charged him with assault on a police officer while armed. Authorities are not sure if Fowler and the other unidentified suspect were wounded by the officer’s gunfire or the initial gunshots the officer responded to.
Police are currently looking for the driver of the vehicle, described as a black female with dreadlocks, and are asking for anyone with information to contact the authorities. Police describe the vehicle as a white, four door sedan, possibly a Kia or Toyota, and is believed to have shattered windows and damage from gunfire, according to an MPD statement.
D.C. is suffering a violent year, with more than 71 confirmed homicides across the city. The District experienced a staggering 53 percent spike in the murder rate in 2015, the highest rate in eight years. The alarming spike in homicides is spilling into 2016, tracking closely with last year’s figures.
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