Man Fatally Shot by DC Police Reached for Officer's Gun, Police Say

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A 30-year-old man shot and killed by police in Southeast D.C. Monday reached for an officer's gun while resisting arrest, police said.

The shooting in an apartment in the 1300 block of Congress Street SE took place about 4:35 p.m. as officers served a temporary protective order, police said.

Deandre Johnson used a gun to threaten a woman two days earlier, after 11 p.m. Saturday, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said. Police recovered a gun from a car “associated” with Johnson, but he no longer was there.

Sources told News4 Johnson held a gun to the head of his child’s mother and she went to police seeking protection.

On Monday, police encountered Johnson while serving the protective order and tried to arrest him for assault with a dangerous weapon based on the report from Saturday’s incident, police said.

Johnson resisted arrest and struggled with officers when at one point he apparently tried to grab an officer’s gun while it was holstered, police said.

News4's Shomari Stone reports that police were in the area to serve a temporary protective order before some kind of incident led to a shooting.

On police body camera video, an officer can be heard saying, “He’s got my —” as shots are fired, Contee said.

Two rounds fired by an officer struck Johnson, and the officers began life-saving efforts until D.C. Fire and EMS arrived and pronounced him dead, police said.

Contee said the bodycam video does not clearly show whether Johnson was able to take the officer’s gun out of the holster. One officer’s bodycam deactivated and reactivated during the struggle.

The three officers involved were not hurt and were placed on administrative leave.

People who live in the area said they want to see the body camera footage.

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