A man allegedly shot a National Guard member trying to bust up a late-night fight in Washington, D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C.
Seven or eight National Guard members were in a parked van monitoring the fight in the Eastern Market neighborhood at about 11:10 p.m. on Sunday.
Jackson was previously convicted of 2 counts of assaulting a police officer and 1 count of carrying a pistol without a license.
“They exited their vehicle to try to intervene to try to stop the fight from occurring when they heard gunshots,” interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said to reporters.
“An individual that had been involved in the fight had pulled out a firearm and began shooting,” he added.
That individual ran into an alley, according to Carroll, and the National Guard members ordered him to drop the gun.
“The individual then pointed the weapon toward National Guard members, who returned fire,” Carroll said.
The suspect was shot in the abdomen, and one National Guard member was shot in the leg. Both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at hospitals.
The suspect was arrested, and three of the National Guard members discharged their weapons during the altercation, Carroll said.
Police later identified the suspect as 41-year-old Jerrell Jackson.
He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer and emergency personnel, carrying a pistol without a license, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The suspect’s gun was recovered from the scene, according to police. At least 14 shell casings were recovered from the incident, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
The police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Investigations Team is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Jackson was previously convicted of two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of carrying a pistol without a license.
“We are praying this National Guard member has a quick and speedy recovery. The suspect in the shooting has a lengthy rap sheet including two counts of assault of a police officer, illegally carrying a pistol, and multiple parole violations,” a spokesperson for the White House said.
“Thanks to the president’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force, violent crime in the city has drastically decreased. D.C. residents and visitors are thankful for all the Task Force has done to drive down crime and make our nation’s capital safe again,” the spokesperson added.
The owner of a smoke shop near the incident told KTVU-TV that the shooting had been captured on their security video and they were turning it over to police.
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Washington dc, National guard, Shooting, White house, Politics
