DC officer shot when gun thrown in storm drain goes off as police try to recover it, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington, D.C., police officer was shot Wednesday when a suspect’s gun went off as officers were trying to recover the weapon from a storm drain, officials said.

The officer, who has been with the Metropolitan Police Department for more than 25 years, was flown by helicopter to a hospital after being shot in the Northeast part of the city, said Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant chief of police at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Carroll said he did not have more information about the officer’s condition.

Carroll said officers saw someone get out of suspicious vehicle, take off on foot and jump onto Interstate 295. Officers saw the person throw a gun in a storm drain before fleeing on the back of a motorcycle, he said.

Police were trying to get the gun out of the drain when it went off, striking the officer at least once, Carroll said. Police are searching for the suspect who placed the gun in the drain, he said.