A police officer in Prince George's County fatally shot a man who had pointed guns at him that each turned out to be a “realistic replica," authorities said Saturday.
The shooting death of Cedric Williams, 29, happened Friday afternoon at an apartment complex in Oxon Hill where the officer lived, according to a news release from the Prince George’s County Police Department.
On Monday, police identified the officer as Cpl. John Diggs, a 12-year veteran of the department.
A complex employee told Diggs that a man banned from the property was onsite, after which the uniformed officer tried unsuccessfully to get Williams to leave, according to a preliminary investigation by the department.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
A verbal confrontation led to a physical struggle, and the suspect took a handgun from his bookbag and appeared to attempt to fire it, police said. The gun didn’t fire, and Williams tossed it into a wooded area, according to investigators.
Diggs then deployed a Taser twice at Williams but it was not effective. Williams then retrieved what looked like an “AR-15 style rifle” and pointed it at the officer, who then discharged his police weapon multiple times, killing Williams, the release said. Like the handgun, the rifle also was later determined to be a “realistic replica,” the department said.
Diggs, who joined the department in 2009, is now on administrative leave pending an investigation led by the department’s internal affairs division. The Prince George’s County prosecutor’s office reviews all officer-involved shootings, the news release said. Williams had no fixed address. Authorities did not release information about the races of those involved.
