Holly MatkinWashington, DC – A domestic violence suspect was fatally shot by DC Metropolitan Police (MPD) after he pulled a gun on officers, bodycam footage showed (video below).
The incident occurred at an apartment located in the 1100-block of 4th Street Southwest at approximately 8:56 p.m. on April 30, the MPD said in a community briefing on May 2.
MPD received a report of a “domestic assault in progress” at that location, and arrived to find a man and a woman in a “verbal dispute,” according to the briefing.
Bodycam footage showed the officers as they approached the door of the apartment.
Loud voices could be heard on the other side.
One officer knocked and announced himself, at which point a woman in a nightgown immediately opened the door.
“Get this b—ch outta my house,” she said, pushing the door open so the officers could come inside.
The woman walked into a bedroom just off the entryway, where a male later identified as 36-year-old Terrance Maurice Parker could be seen reclining on a bed, the video showed.
Police attempted to speak with Parker and the woman to find out what was going on, but neither of them said a word.
Police quickly asked the woman to exit the bedroom, but she appeared to hesitate at the last second and turned to face Parker with her hands on her hips, the video showed.
“What do you got there?” one officer suddenly asked, as Parker sat up on the bed.
That’s when officers realized the suspect had grabbed a gun.
“Without warning, Mr. Parker picked up a firearm with his right hand,” MPD said in the briefing.
The woman and the officer were standing just feet away from Parker at the time.
“No, no, no, no!” one officer yelled in the video.
The officer then fired three rounds at Parker, who fell onto the bed and dropped the weapon, police said.
The suspect’s gun was recovered at the scene.
Parker was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his gunshot wounds, according to the briefing.
The officers and the woman were not injured during the incident.
Both officers have been placed on administrative leave, as per protocol, WTOP reported.
All MPD officers have been required to wear bodycams since December of 2016, the department noted in the briefing.
Parker’s family was given a private viewing of the bodycam footage on May 2 prior to it being released to the public the following day, The Washington Post reported.
Parker’s sister, Tiffany Parker, released a statement claiming the video proved her brother hadn’t pointed the gun at anyone.
“Terrance appeared to be complying with police directions,” she declared.
Tiffany Parker later claimed she didn’t see her brother holding a gun in the footage, The Washington Post reported.
DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Christopher Geldart told reporters the exact opposite ahead of the release of the video.
“There’s a video of Mr. Parker holding a firearm,” Geldart told The Washington Post. “When the video comes out, I think people will see the clear danger that was there.”
MPD released additional bodycam footage on Wednesday that captured the incident from the second officer’s perspective.
The same day, Public Safety and Justice Deputy Mayor Chris Geldard revealed in a letter to DC Councilmember Charles Allen that the officer who fired at Parker was MPD Officer Howard Lee, DCist reported.
Officer Lee joined the MPD in mid-2019, according to the news outlet.
The 19-minute video did not reveal additional information about the officer-involved shooting, but did provide a glimpse into what occurred afterwards.
Officers initially struggled to call out for assistance after the officer-involved shooting due to poor cell phone and radio service inside the building, DCist reported.
While keeping his duty weapon pointed at the suspect, the second officer calmly told the female witness to take his phone out of his back pocket and read off a password for her to open it, the video showed.
He instructed her to call 911 and to tell the dispatcher that officers were in need of emergency assistance.
“This wasn’t supposed to end like this,” the woman told the second officer.
“Yeah, well if he has a gun, this is how it is,” the officer replied.
Parker could be seen moving his legs moments later, at which point the cover officer ordered him not to move.
The cover officer told Officer Lee to remove Parker’s gun and to unload it outside the room, then coached him as he checked the suspect for any additional weapons.
Officers were still able to render aid to Parker within minutes of the shooting, the video showed.
“Stay with me, come on,” Officer Lee begged the suspect while holding pressure on his bullet wound. “Come on man – breathe.”
The cover officer later explained to Officer Lee that the two of them would be removed from the scene once backup arrived, and that he needed to refrain from talking about the shooting until a union representative arrived.
Officer Lee was clearly emotional and struggling to breathe as officers led him out of the apartment complex.
“We’re good, we’re good,” the second officer calmly told him multiple times.
The Parker family has demanded “a complete and thorough investigation of the shooting,” as well as the public release of all documents and videos pertaining to the incident, according to The Washington Post.
The MPD’s investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting will be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia for review, according to the community briefing.
An internal investigation will be completed once the USAO’s review wraps up.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
Sandy Malone
