Around 7:30 a.m. three Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in Washington D.C. were shot when they went to a residence to serve an arrest warrant on a cruelty to animals charge.

The suspect, Julius James, 46, refused to go outside, and when the officers tried to make contact with him inside, James shot at them through the door. 

The three officers who were shot suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds, and were taken to the hospital where they were treated, released and expected to recover fully. One officer was shot twice, but the bulletproof vest stopped the bullets and the two other officers were shot in their lower legs. A fourth officer was not shot, but was treated on the scene with hand injuries. 

James barricaded himself inside the home and continued shooting sporadically through out the day.  The standoff lasted nearly 13 hours and eventually, the MPD Emergency Response Team was able to negotiate with James and get him to surrender.

James is in custody and will face additional charges.

D.C. has had a 35% increase in homicides from 2022-2023.

By - FZ