A National Guard member was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight in south-east Washington DC, police said. A man believed to have opened fire was also wounded in the exchange.
The incident happened at about 11.10pm on Sunday, October 18, in the 400 block of 8th Street SE, near a District of Columbia Fire and EMS station in the Eastern Market area.
Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll said seven or eight National Guard members were travelling in a van when they noticed a fight involving several people and got out to intervene.
One person involved in the altercation allegedly produced a firearm and began shooting at the Guard members. Police said the troops ordered him to put down the weapon, but he pointed it towards them and fired again.
Three National Guard members returned fire, striking the suspect in the abdomen. Police have not said which Guard member fired the shot that hit him.
Both the injured Guard member and the suspect were taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The Guard member, who was shot in the leg, was later treated and released, while the suspect was reported to be in custody.
The two injured men were brought into the nearby fire station, where firefighters called police. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the shooting.
Police said there was no continuing threat to the community. Investigators believe the original fight may have started inside a nearby establishment and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
