D.C. Housing Authority officer shot in Navy Yard area; suspect in custody

August 14, 2024

Police said they arrested a man in the shooting of a D.C. Housing Authority police officer Thursday morning in a Navy Yard apartment building, ending a gun battle, an hours-long shelter-in-place order and a massive presence that unnerved residents in the densely populated area.

The officer, a member of the force for six years, was shot in the torso about 5:45 a.m. inside the Carroll Apartments at 410 M St. SE, a public housing building for senior citizens. He was alert and in stable condition at a hospital, and authorities said they expect him to be released to recover at home.

Housing Authority Police Chief Michael Reese said the shooting occurred after two officers came to the apartment building to investigate reports of an “unwanted guest.” There, they found a man and a woman “who were not residents” outside an apartment on the second floor, the chief said.

The officers asked the two to leave, but the man refused and fired a gun as the officers were attempting to arrest him, Reese said.

Reese said there were additional shots fired in the lobby and outside the apartment building, and he described exchanges of gunfire. A D.C. police spokesman later said Housing Authority police and the suspected gunman exchanged gunfire in the building’s hallway and on the street. The spokesman said it was unclear if police also fired in the lobby.

Police said a gun was recovered from a trash can inside a building; the suspect was not wounded.

The man then fled and hid in a building about a block away, Reese said. An emergency alert from the D.C. government advised occupants to shelter in place, as residents of Arris luxury apartments looking out of their windows captured on video an armored vehicle rolling into their garage.

By 9:30 a.m., police said they also had arrested the woman who was with the accused gunman when the officers arrived. On Thursday night, police said they charged Victor Terrill, 40, of Landover, Md., with assault with intent to kill; unlawful entry; and being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm. Police said they charged Teyona Tolson, 37, of Southwest Washington, with unlawful entry.

Police said the man and woman were arrested in a “garage area” at Arris, in the 1300 block of Fourth Street SE. A D.C. police spokesman said the arrests occurred on the complex roof.

In a letter to residents from a regional manager, Arris says the two entered the garage through an entrance that is shared with retail outlets.

The letter says a metal gate is designed to prevent retail patrons and others from reaching floors of the garage reserved for residents, but the accused gunman “was able to circumvent the locked control gate within the egress stairwell, gaining entrance to the community.”

The letter does not say whether the suspected gunman was able to reach living areas of the building. The letter also says the man and woman “pulled multiple fire alarms.”

An inquiry to Arris was returned by the head of a public relations firm, who referred all questions to D.C. police.

Police announced the arrests as some students were arriving at a nearby elementary school, which was delayed from opening until 10:30 a.m. because of the violence.

“I find myself yet again at a scene where there is yellow tape, gunshots, children around,” D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (I-At Large) said from the scene Thursday. “This is steps away from a school, where parents and kids expect to be safe.”

Rebecca Sohmer said she learned of the incident when she heard a helicopter overhead and an announcement from local schools about a two-hour delay.

Sohmer, who is the president of the Van Ness Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and has lived in the Navy Yard area for 17 years, said her youngest son told her that he did not feel safe going into school.

“How much of this can we all take? It’s just not acceptable” Sohmer, 51, said. “In the past few years, the city has had so much violence and I don’t think it’s right that kids are used to this sort of violence. I think it’s harmful for them.”

The Housing Authority police force patrols areas of public housing in D.C. with about 160 police officers as well as armed and unarmed security guards. Thursday’s shooting marked the second time in four months that a Housing Authority officer has been wounded by gunfire. In October, an off-duty housing officer was struck during an exchange of gunfire on New York Avenue in Northeast Washington.

Violent crime in the District is down over the first two months of this year, but shootings and homicides continue to be a concern after the city recorded more killings in 2023 than in any year since 1997. A sweeping public safety bill advancing through the D.C. Council could make dozens of changes to criminal punishment and policing laws.

“We have a crisis when it comes to public safety in D.C.,” said council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8), who was also at the scene Thursday morning. “D.C. needs a real comprehensive strategy to address public safety.”

Lauren Lumpkin contributed to this report.

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