Maryland

2 Police Officers in Stable Condition After District Heights Shooting

The police chief says the officers entered the wrong address

A man armed with a shotgun shot two police officers who mistakenly entered his apartment in District Heights, Maryland, while trying to serve a warrant, Prince George's County's police chief says. 

The officers and their 9-member special operations team went to the complex in the 2700 block of Lorring Drive to serve a warrant about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

A confidential informant told police a drug dealer lived there, but the resident was actually a father who didn't know officers were trying to get in his home, Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinsky said during a news conference Thursday.

"A law-abiding, hard-working citizen and his daughter were home at the point where we began to execute that search warrant," Stawinsky said.

The team knocked on the door of a top-level unit and announced they were there, but no one answered. Despite the silence, the team had a feeling someone might be inside the apartment, so they used a device to open the door.

Inside the apartment, they found the father armed with a shotgun. Police say the man fired the weapon, striking two officers. 

Another officer returned fire, but no one was hit. 

Local

Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information

Girl shot while inside home on Peabody Street NW in DC, police say

GMU cricket stadium proposal scrapped

One of the injured officers was struck in the shoulder, while the other suffered a hand injury.

The officers were flown to a shock trauma center in Baltimore, where they are in stable condition. 

"We could be talking about a completely different situation based on what they encountered when they got into that apartment. We are very very relieved tonight that both of our officers are alive," police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said. 

Stawinsky said no charges would be filed against the man who shot the officers.

Contact Us