Prince George’s County Police reported to the scene of a shooting Sunday night at a Langley Park liquor store — about two miles away from the University of Maryland’s Campus Drive entrance, according to a tweet from the department.
At about 6:45 p.m., an off-duty Prince George’s County officer was in a liquor store on the 7900 block of New Hampshire Ave., where a man walked in and began arguing with other customers, interim Police Chief Hector Velez said at a press conference at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday night.
Velez said the management of the liquor store told the officer the man had been banned from the store for similar conduct in the past, and had asked the officer to direct the man out.
The individual left the store, but security cameras show that the officer saw the man had returned “seconds later,” Velez said. Camera footage then shows the man approaching the officer with a knife, Velez said.
The officer drew his handgun and told the individual to drop the knife, Velez said, but the man charged the officer. The officer shot the individual about three times in the lower left side, Velez said. The officer was not injured, Velez said.
The individual was transported to a local hospital, Velez said. The man was in serious but stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, according to the department’s tweet.
The officer, who was in uniform, did not have a body camera and has not been issued one, Velez said. Officers are permitted to respond to a scene off-duty, according to Prince George’s County Police Department policy, Velez said.
Velez said that, after reviewing the evidence so far, the shooting was “absolutely” justified. The security footage has not been released to the public.
The officer has been put on administrative leave and the Internal Affairs Unit is investigating the incident, Velez said.
This story will be updated.
