Cop Fatally Shoots Knife-Wielding Man In White Oak: Police Chief

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County police say an officer fatally shot a man who came at him with a knife in a residential parking lot in White Oak.

It happened Thursday afternoon in the 1500 block of Hadden Manor Court — about a six-minute drive from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The deadly encounter was video-recorded by a witness and the officer's body-worn camera, police chief Marcus Jones said.

Around 2:15 p.m., a neighbor called 911 to report that a man wielding a "large butcher knife" had chucked a rock through a resident's window and yelled out to "call the police," Jones said.

An officer who was first on the scene saw that the 30-year-old suspect was armed with a knife and ordered him to get on the ground numerous times, according to Jones.

"The subject rushed at the officer. The officer retreated a little bit. The subject then began to walk backwards," Jones said. "The officer again repeated to the individual several times to 'get on the ground' and to 'drop the knife.' The subject then ran aggressively while holding the knife, straight to the officer."

Jones said the officer — a 17-year veteran of the force — fired his weapon and fatally shot the knife-wielding suspect.

Police said they will release the names of the suspect and the officer at a later date.

Per standard police protocol, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while authorities conduct an internal investigation.

Once that investigation is over, evidence will be turned over to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office for review.

A years-long agreement between the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office and the Howard County State's Attorney's Office says that when an officer-involved death occurs in one county, the other county's State's Attorney's Office will review the event.