Maryland police officer shot dead in 'unprovoked' police station gunfight
On Sunday evening, a gunman walked up to a police station in Landover, Maryland, and fired, Prince George's County Police Chief Henry Stawinski III said Sunday night. Officer Jacai Colson, a week shy of 29, was killed in what Stawinski called an "unprovoked attack" on the station, in a suburb about 10 miles northeast of downtown Washington, D.C. Two suspects have been arrested, one of them wounded but expected to survive.
Colson, who'd been on the force for four years, was an undercover narcotics officer, but Sunday's attack "wasn’t about anything," Stawinski said. "He opened fire on the first police officer he saw." Police haven't identified either suspect, but The Washington Post says they are brothers Malik and Michael Ford of Temple Hills, citing relatives and law enforcement sources. Lascelles Grant, who lives near the police station, told The Post that after hearing what sounded like firecrackers, she looked out her window and saw a man in black shooting a handgun toward the station. "He fired one shot, and then he started pacing back and forth, then fired another shot," she said. "Who would shoot a police station on Sunday evening? This is insane."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Harriet Tubman made a general 161 years after raid
Speed Read She was the first woman to oversee an American military action during a time of war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chappell Roan is a new kind of boundary-setting celebrity
In the Spotlight She's calling out fans and the media for invasive behavior
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza
Speed Read Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published