A tragic incident occurred early Sunday when a U.S. Park Police officer accidentally shot another U.S. Park Police officer, leading to the latter’s untimely death. The incident took place in Fairfax County, Virginia, as confirmed by the Fairfax County Police Department.
According to authorities, a call reporting a gunshot victim was received at 12:20 a.m. in the 1700 block of Old Meadow Road in McLean. Police immediately responded to the scene. According to the caller, an individual was accidentally shot within an apartment, resulting in their unfortunate demise at the scene. Law enforcement officers were informed of this incident.
Jesse Brown Hernandez from McLean, aged 22, was identified as the person in question. During their investigation, the police discovered that Hernandez was shot by Alexander Roy, a 25-year-old resident of McLean, while attempting to dry fire a firearm.
Dry firing involves firing a firearm without any ammunition in the chamber. Unfortunately, Roy accidentally discharged the firearm he believed to be unloaded, resulting in Hernandez being fatally shot.
According to the police, the use of alcohol played a role in the shooting incident. The apartment where the shooting took place had four individuals present, all of whom were acquainted with each other. Notably, three of the individuals involved were off-duty officers from the U.S. Park Police.
Michael Hauk, a resident on the second floor of the building where the shooting occurred, expressed gratitude that his seven-month-old child was able to sleep through the incident. “We didn’t hear anything, which is a good thing,” he stated.
Currently, Roy is being detained at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. He has been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter. According to witness Greg Taggart, individuals with extensive training, like the perpetrator in this scenario, are not expected to make such a mistake.
DC News Now received a statement from a representative of the USPP who stated:
The United States Park Police (USPP) is aware of the recent incident that occurred at a private residence in Fairfax County, involving off-duty employees. The Fairfax County Police Department is currently investigating the matter, and any queries related to this investigation should be directed to them. Our top priority is to support the family, friends, and colleagues of our employees affected by this unfortunate incident. At this point, USPP has no additional information to share.
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