A police officer outside the Pentagon service on Wednesday morning shot dead two men he believed were breaking into a car in the parking lot of a Maryland condominium complex, authorities said.
The officer, a member of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, opened fire on Takoma Overlook condominiums in Takoma Park shortly after 5 a.m., according to police.
According to a press release from the Takoma Park police department, he “compromised” the men “who did not follow his direction” before firing at them when they tried to flee in a car.
The two men were taken to a hospital in the area, where they died. On Thursday, police identified them as Dominique Williams, 32, and James Johnson, 38.
The Pentagon agent told investigators he thought there was a gun for the men’s escape vehicle, a source told the Washington Post.
Since then, the agent has been placed on administrative leave, the newspaper reported.
Johnson’s aunt, Denise Johnson, condemned the shooting.
“It’s wrong how he was killed,” he told the newspaper. “I’m heartbroken by what happened.”
Local community activists are calling on Takoma Park police to release forwarding calls and body camera footage of responding officers.
“It was an unfair shooting,” Seth Grimes, a Silver Spring Justice Coalition activist, told WJLA.
“This is not someone who has been trained to handle interactions with community members. But this case illustrates why we need transparency [and] the use of force that regulates police officers “.