Police said in a statement Thursday that Bullock also ran over the railing and the two men landed about eight feet below the Red Line train platform, away from the tracks. Police said at the time the officer fired his weapon, hitting Bullock.
Police also said in the statement that they found a gun on Bullock after he was shot. Authorities did not say whether Bullock showed the weapon or whether the officer knew the man was armed. Police did not describe any specific threat the officer faced. They also did not say what caused the altercation.
Authorities did not identify the agent but described him as a senior FBI official. He was injured in the fall, police said, and was treated in a hospital for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.
Efforts to reach those close to Bullock were not immediately successful.
The shooting at the Metro Center and another shooting Thursday morning at the Benning Road subway station in northeast Washington have drawn new attention to violence in the transit system. In the latest incident, police say two teenagers and an adult were shot in an altercation. One of the teenagers, a 15-year-old who police believe was the intended target of the shooter, was seriously injured. A 34-year-old woman and another 15-year-old man were hit by stray bullets and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The suspect remains at large, authorities said.
Metro chief executive Randy Clarke said transit police have stepped up station patrols this fall in response to violence occurring on trains, stations or buses.
In both cases, commuters reported a panic with people rushing out of stations and away from gunfire. At the Metro Center, one person posted on Twitter: “Was close enough to see the flash of the last 2 shots. I have never moved so fast in my life.
People on the Metro Center platform – heading towards Glenmont – reported running or hiding behind escalators, and it appears a train sped through the station to get passengers to safety.
Megan Gamble was on a Red Line train when it entered the Metro Center to the sound of gunfire. She posted on Twitter that “everyone on the train touched down”, adding that “the train didn’t stop, it continued”.
Angelic Young, 46, of Silver Spring, Maryland, stood on the platform as the train passed. She said in a message to the Post that she joined others taking cover behind escalators, which were also packed with people. She said she “stayed there for cover” until she heard an exit announcement from the station.
Clarke praised the operator of a subway train that appeared to have gone through Metro Center without stopping when gunfire rang out.
“Truly grateful for the quick response and thoughtful attention of our train operator tonight whose response during tonight’s policing involved shooting at the @wmata Metro Center kept customers from potential danger,” Clarke tweeted.
Wednesday’s shooting came days after an FBI agent was acquitted of attempted second-degree murder in the killing of a man aboard a moving subway train in December 2020.
Authorities said the officer was approached by a begging man and had a verbal altercation with him. The officer said he fired his weapon in self-defense after the man made threats and appeared to adopt an aggressive posture.
A prosecutor said the officer had “not to fire a gun”.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
