Prince George's County Officer Shoots Armed Man

The man shot by a Prince George's County police officer is recovering in the hospital and will face assault charges in the incident.

Police say 22-year-old Ivanilov Tembi Fomukong of Bladensburg was armed with a large knife and ignored officers' commands to drop it before he was shot by an officer late Sunday.

The incident began shortly after three officers had finished up on an unrelated domestic call in the 5400 block of Annapolis Road in Bladensburg.

Shortly before midnight, police say Fomukong knocked on one officer's window, but when the officer partially rolled down the window, Fomukong was speaking incoherently and spat into the cruiser.

The officer got out of his car and saw that Fomukong was armed with a large butcher knife, police said. The officer called for backup from the others nearby, who converged and told the man to drop the knife.

Lt. Bill Alexander, a spokesperson for the department, said the officers corralled him for a brief period, but he was still not following their directions.

After he made movements towards one of the officers, they shocked him with a stun gun, but it didn't incapacitate him. One of the officers, fearing for his safety, fired his weapon and struck Fomukong in the leg.

Fomukong was transported to a hospital, where he was being treated as of Monday afternoon. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

Police have obtained an arrest warrant was obtained for Fomukong, charging him with three counts of first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

The patrol officer who shot the man have been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. He is a 16-year veteran of the Prince George's County Police Department.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police department's Special Investigative Response Team at 301-772-4925. Callers who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477), or text "PGPD" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) on a cell phone.

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