A member of the National Guard was shot in the leg late Sunday night while attempting to break up a fight in Southeast Washington, D.C., police said Monday.
Both the wounded service member and the suspected shooter were taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, according to police.
The shooting unfolded at around 11:10 p.m. EDT in the 400 block of 8th Street SE, according to interim Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Jeffrey Carroll.
Carroll said seven or eight National Guard soldiers had been “monitoring” a group of people gathered on a sidewalk when a fight broke out.
The troops stepped out of their vehicles to try to intervene, and as they approached the group, they “heard gunshots,” Carroll said during an early-morning news conference.
According to police, one of the suspects involved in the altercation opened fire, prompting Guard members to order the individual to drop the weapon.
Instead, the suspect turned the gun on the troops.
“That individual then pointed the weapon towards National Guard members, who returned fire,” the police chief said.
Three service members fired their weapons, striking the suspected gunman in the abdomen. One Guard member was shot in the leg during the confrontation.
Carroll said it was not immediately clear which Guard member fired the shot that struck the suspect. The suspect’s identity has not been released.
The shooting is now under investigation by MPD’s Internal Affairs Division and Criminal Investigation Division.
Carroll assured residents that there were “no further threats to the community.”
The incident marks the latest act of violence against National Guard troops stationed in the nation’s capital.
The shooting comes nearly a year after two National Guard members were shot just blocks away from the White House. One of the Guard members was killed in that attack, and the other was left critically wounded.
National Guard soldiers were first deployed to Washington last year to help tackle crime in the city.
Earlier this year, their deployment was extended through the 2029 presidential inauguration, keeping the troops on the streets of the capital for years to come.
Sunday night’s confrontation highlights the dangers facing Guard members as they carry out their mission in the District, where troops working to keep the peace were met with gunfire while trying to stop a fight on a city sidewalk.
Police have not said what sparked the fight that drew the soldiers’ attention, and authorities have not released further details about the suspect or the condition of the wounded service member beyond confirming that the injuries were not life-threatening.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing as MPD’s internal affairs and criminal investigation units work to determine exactly how the confrontation unfolded and which Guard member’s shot struck the suspected gunman.
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