Washington — A US Park Police officer was seriously injured Monday evening in a shooting in Washington in what the Park Police Chief described as an ambush.
Park Police Chief Scott Brecht said in a press conference that the unidentified officer was “ambushed” by two gunmen who opened fire on the officer as he passed by in an unmarked car. The officer was working on an ongoing Park Police investigation when he was shot. The president refused to provide details about the investigation. “We have jurisdiction throughout Washington, D.C.,” the president said.
Vito Maggiolo, public information officer for the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said the veteran officer was airlifted by a US Park Police helicopter to an area hospital. He said the call came in around 7:30 p.m
The officer was shot in the shoulder and is in serious but stable condition, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Brecht said authorities were looking for two suspects.
US Park Police confirmed in an email that the officer was in a “non-life-threatening condition.”
The shooting occurred in the southeast quadrant of the district near the border with Maryland.
Jeffrey Carroll, Washington’s interim police chief, said the officer was a target. “There’s no reason to shoot anyone, police officer or non-police officer, just because they’re here driving through the neighborhood,” he said. “We think it’s possible they knew he was a police officer, but that will all be part of the ongoing investigation regarding the actual shooting incident.”
Federal officials said they were assisting in the investigation.
“I spoke with Mayor Bowser and Police Chief Carroll and was briefed on the shooting,” District Attorney Pam Bondi said in a post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in his own post on X that he “is praying for the Park Police officer who was shot in Washington, D.C. The FBI is actively supporting the investigation along with our law enforcement partners and will bring those responsible to justice.”