Police have released footage of a suspect who impersonated a police officer to gain entry to a Washington DC “sheltered home” for youth awaiting trial, shooting a 16-year-old boy and staff member.
It was the first time such an attack had occured in DC at this type a location, the addresses of which are kept strictly confidential, authorities said.
The incident took place just before 3pm on Tuesday in the 6000 block of Clay Street in Northeast DC, when a man wearing a vest emblazoned with “police” and a badge pretended to serve a warrant at the facility, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the footage, the suspect can be seen entering wearing the vest, a light-coloured knit hat and a dark face mask, holding a rolled up piece of paper in his hand.
Commander John Haines described his attire as “a tactical vest, or what looked like a bulletproof vest,” along with “some sort of badge in the shape of a star” around his neck and a “police-type patch.”
“We aren’t clear on exactly what that was, but we do believe it ... could have been from another jurisdiction,” he added Wednesday at a press briefing.
The police impersonator’s behaviour did not follow “proper procedure for the way these things usually go,” Commander John Haines said about serving warrants. “And the individual that was running the facility instructed them that ... that’s not the proper way to do this.”
But the suspect “continued to ask about a certain individual” before quickly recognising the teen, pulling out a handgun and starting to shoot, Mr Haines said.
“It is our belief he was absolutely trying, specifically targeting, that individual,” he said. “Unfortunately, during the gunfire, an innocent person inside that works there was also struck by gunfire.”
Footage shows the suspect running down the street and jumping into the driver’s side of a dark SUV before fleeing.
The victims were taken taken to hospital, where the teen was in critical condition on Friday, an MPD spokesperson told The Independent. Mr Haines said Wednesday that he believed the staff member, 42-year-old Maryland resident William Patton, had been released.
The suspect remained at large on Friday, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
The scene of the shooting was described as a “sheltered home placement for young people who are court-ordered or awaiting trial” at the briefing by Hilary Cairns, director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.
The locations of such facilities are carefully protected; residents are supervised and security protocols are in place.
Ms Cairns said she was “super concerned” and the investigation was ongoing.
“This is the first time that something like this has ever happened,” she said.
It was the second time in less than a week, however, that crimes were committed by suspects impersonating law enforcement.
On 14 December, four men wearing tactical gear and carrying guns and a crowbar forced their way into a residence on Bay Street in Southeast DC, telling the occupants they were FBI – before making off with a haul that included a black safe, $3,300 in cash, a silver Audi Q3 sedan and a Rolex watch valued at $12,000.
Police said Wednesday there had been no link established between the two crimes, and Mr Haines stressed that they were believed to be isolated incidents.
“One thing I do want to stress: In this case, the public as a whole is not at risk,” he said Wednesday. “Based on these two incidents that we know about, these individuals were specifically targeted themselves or those locations. It’s not like a general crime, or ... where people should be concerned about being pulled over by someone who’s a fake police officer and trying to do harm to them. These individuals were targeted for other reasons specifically,”
He conceded, however, that the impersonation of law enforcement “worries me.”
“It can make our job sometimes a little more difficult,” he said. “If people were ever in question about a police officer, their validity, whether or not it’s a real one or not, typically police officers ... Number one, they very rarely work alone. So if we’re approaching a home, if there’s a traffic stop ... especially here in the city, it’s going to be a marked police car.”
He added that officers alwasy carry identification and reminded the public to politely ask to see it, as well as check for what look like authentic uniforms.
“If you see things that don’t look right, the other thing you can do is call 911,” he said. “Say, ‘Look, I have somebody here who’s presenting as a police officer. I’m just trying to verify whether or not it is.”
