Animal cruelty suspect in DC opens fire and wounds 3 cops, prompting ongoing police standoff with occasional gunfire

Washington, D.C., cops attempting to make an arrest in connection with alleged animal cruelty were met with a barrage of bullets, prompting a standoff that remains ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon.

At 7:30 on Wednesday morning, police officers with the Criminal Apprehension Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department joined members of the Humane Rescue Alliance to execute an arrest warrant for suspected animal cruelty at a residence in a southeastern neighborhood of our nation's capital.

Officials knocked on the door and asked the male suspect to exit the residence. Rather than comply, the man reportedly opened fire, wounding three officers, before barricading himself inside. As of Wednesday afternoon, the suspect, whose name has not been released, remains in his residence as crisis negotiators attempt to draw the standoff to a peaceful resolution.

So far, they haven't succeeded. Chief Pamela Smith told reporters, "This remains an active situation and the individual has continued to fire from that location." Smith also seized the opportunity to call for harsher punishments for gun-related crimes, Politico reported.

Meanwhile, the three officers were swiftly transported to Medstar Washington Hospital Center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. One officer sustained two shots that, thankfully, both struck his protective gear. The other two officers sustained wounds to their "lower extremities," D.C. police union chairman Greggory Pemberton stated, according to the New York Post.

A fourth officer was also injured during the incident, though not by gunfire. No other details regarding that officer's injury have been reported.

Because of the ongoing standoff, several roads have been blocked off and two elementary schools in the area placed on lockdown. A third school is on "secure status," preventing students and staff from entering or exiting the building, but instruction has otherwise continued as normal.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives are also on the scene.

Humane Rescue Alliance Field Services Director Dan D'Eramo issued a statement in response to the shooting: "Our thoughts are with our partners at MPD who are being treated in the hospital and we are wishing them all the best in their recovery. We could not fulfill our mission without them. We are also concerned for the safety of the officers who remain on scene, the community members who continue to be affected, and the animals whom we were there to protect."

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