DC police body-camera video being reviewed after officer shoots man investigators say flashed gun
WASHINGTON - Authorities are reviewing police body-camera video after an officer shot a man who officials say flashed a gun on a downtown D.C. street.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. in the 900 block of F Street. At a press conference Monday night, Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said officers were on patrol in the area when they spotted a person they believed was carrying a firearm.
READ MORE: Police shooting under investigation in Penn Quarter neighborhood
"As the officers were attempting to stop that individual, a firearm was displayed. One officer discharged a round at the individual. He was immediately placed under arrest. Medical aid was rendered to the individual," Carroll said. "A firearm was recovered on the scene from the ground in front of the individual, and that individual was transported to a local hospital for treatment."
Carroll said the male suspect – who has been identified as 27-year-old Corey Darnell Branch, of Southeast, D.C. — was shot once in the lower extremities and was listed in stable condition Monday night. He said there is no indication that the suspect discharged his firearm.
Why the officer opened fire remains under investigation, Carroll said. "We have a lot of video that we have to review. We have witness that we have to interview as well," he added.
The shooting happened in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of northwest D.C. near where the Downtown Holiday Market is being held and just a few blocks from where fans gathered at Capital One Arena for a Madonna concert. The singer posted photos to social media several hours before the show was scheduled to begin.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.
Branch was arrested and charged with assault on a police officer, possession of a controlled substance, and six additional firearms-related charges including unlawful possession and carrying a pistol without a license.
Check out a photo of the firearm police said they recovered from the scene:
Photo via D.C. police