County police officer placed on leave after firing at suspects

A female security guard was shot during an early Tuesday morning altercation at a Fairmount Heights nightclub and a Prince George’s County police officer has been placed on administrative leave after firing several rounds at the suspects.

Two groups of men got into a verbal altercation shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Ebony Inn, located in the 5300 block of Sheriff Road. The altercation escalated into gunfire, resulting in the shooting of a female security guard by a stray bullet to the lower part of her body, according to police.

Police are still investigating the number of people involved in the initial conflict, said Pfc. Larry Johnson, a county police spokesman. He did not know how many people were in the club.

The security guard, whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Though her current status is unknown, the injury was “not life threatening,” according to police.

Cpl. Raymond Harris, a 19-year veteran of the Prince George’s Police Department assigned to the Bureau of Patrol, was in plain clothes near the front door of the nightclub when the shots were fired. He fired several rounds from his police department-issued weapon at the suspects, but it is unknown whether the shots were effective. Harris is on administrative leave pending the investigation as required by departmental procedure.

None of the suspects have been identified. They were last seen driving a white or champagne colored late model Cadillac SUV with gunfire damage to the rear windshield heading into Washington, D.C. Police are still investigating which shots damaged the vehicle, Johnson said.

The shooting is still under investigation by the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Special Investigative Response Team. Anyone with additional information should contact the Special Investigative Response Team at 301-856-2660.

Originally published at The Gazette. Wednesday, June 3, 2009