A 22-year-old man died Monday morning after being shot by police in Silver Spring. The man reportedly called 911 at 3:15 a.m. and threatened to harm himself and possibly others.
He also said he wanted police to shoot him, according to authorities. Officers quickly contacted the man's family to find out where he was.
The man has been identified as Tracy Woodfork, of the 5000 block of Volta Avenue in Bladensburg.
According to News4's Megan McGrath, police found Woodfork in the outdoor basement stairwell of a home at Woodland Drive and Flora Lane, where his 23-year-old girlfriend worked as a nanny.
Woodfork's girlfriend, her son, and two children she was looking after were in the home at the time. Police called her in advance of their arrival, warning her to get herself and the children into the basement, News4's Pat Collins reports.
Police were then able to safely usher them outside to an ambulance while they negotiated with Woodfork. After an hour, Woodfork walked up the stairwell holding a replica handgun, authorities said. Police opened fire, shooting him several times.
He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
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"I was lying in bed and heard, it sounded like seven shots," said a neighbor. "We heard an officer yell for him to get on the ground. We ran upstairs and started looking out front, and it looked like the whole police department was outside."
Alcohol may have been a factor, Collins reported. He had a large bottle of vodka with him, police said.
