A National Guard member was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight in south-east Washington, with the suspected gunman also wounded in an exchange of fire.
The incident happened at about 11.10pm on Sunday, October 18, in the 400 block of 8th Street SE in the Barracks Row area, near a District of Columbia Fire and EMS station.
Seven or eight National Guard members were in a parked van monitoring a fight on the street when they got out to intervene, Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll said.
A man involved in the altercation allegedly pulled out a firearm and began shooting. The Guard members ordered him to drop the weapon, but police said he pointed it towards them and continued firing.
Three members of the Guard returned fire, striking the suspect in the abdomen. The National Guard member was hit in the leg, while the suspect was taken into custody after being wounded. Both men were treated in hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The Guard member was later released. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/16a5059ef1c84487b40d13376928e263))
Police identified the suspect as 41-year-old Jerrell Jackson, of south-east Washington. He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer and emergency personnel, carrying a pistol without a licence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jackson’s weapon was recovered at the scene. Police said at least 14 shell casings were found, while investigators believe the original fight may have started inside a nearby business.
The shooting took place outside Café 8 Bar, where D.C. Councilman Charles Allen has called for action over what he described as repeated violence in the area. The front door of a nearby smoke shop was also damaged by gunfire.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had been briefed on the incident and understood it to have involved a dispute followed by gunfire.
There was no continuing threat to the community, according to police. The department’s Internal Affairs Bureau Force Investigations Team and Criminal Investigations Division are examining the circumstances of the shooting. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/16a5059ef1c84487b40d13376928e263))
