Man Fatally Shot by Police in Potomac Avenue Metro Tunnel
(Updated at 7:25 p.m.) A man was shot to death by a Metro Transit Police officer last night in a tunnel near the Potomac Avenue station, and as of this afternoon no information has been released on what preceded the shooting or whether the man was armed.
A female officer fired multiple shots at the man about 9:10 p.m., Transit Police said in a statement. The man, whom police identified as 35-year-old Bobby Gross, was not authorized to be in the tunnel.
“A responding MTPD officer encountered a male subject in the westbound tunnel approximately 400 feet east of Potomac Avenue Station,” a statement from Transit Police said. “During that encounter, the MTPD officer discharged her department-issued service weapon, resulting in fatal injuries to the male subject.”
No information on whether the man was armed or what kind of interaction occurred before the shooting had been released as of 2:45 p.m.
The incident began when a train operator reported at about 8:50 p.m. seeing a person in the tunnel between the Stadium-Armory and Potomac Avenue stations.
Metro cut power to the tracks at 8:52 p.m. and dispatched Transit police at 8:53 p.m., Transit Police said. The first officers arrived on the scene four minutes later and began investigating the tunnels.
The officer shot the man during an “encounter,” Transit Police said without elaborating. The man was pronounced dead on the scene, officials said.
The man was partially clothed, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement this afternoon.
The name of the officer, who has more than 10 years of service, has not been released. She has been put on paid administrative leave during the review of the use of force, as is standard police protocol.
The station reopened this morning. A roll of yellow “Do Not Cross” tape placed on the escalators was the only indication of an event.
The shooting remains under investigation, Transit Police said. Anyone who witnessed the incident or may have seen the man in or near the Potomac Avenue station or nearby stations is asked to call the MPD at 202-727-9099 or Transit Police at 301-955-5000.
Transit Police investigated a separate incident in Hill East earlier this week, when a man jumped onto the tracks of the Stadium-Armory station Wednesday afternoon.
