U.S. Park Police officer “ambushed,” shot by 2 men in Washington, officials say

A U.S. Park Police officer was seriously wounded Monday evening in a shooting in Washington, law enforcement officials said.

Park Service Police Chief Scott Brecht told reporters late Monday night that at least two officers were driving in an unmarked white Tesla during an ongoing investigation when two gunmen “ambushed” them. The circumstances of the “ambush” of an unmarked car weren’t clear. The assailants were still at large early Tuesday.

D.C. Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Jeff Carroll told reporters the officer was “targeted.”

Brecht said the officer who was hit kept driving up the road and then pulled over, and got first aid.

The unidentified officer was airlifted by U.S. Park Police helicopter to an area hospital, said Vito Maggiolo, public information officer for the the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department. He said the call came in about 7:30 p.m.

The officer was shot in the shoulder and was in serious but stable condition, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

Federal officials said they were assisting in the investigation.

“I’ve spoken to Mayor Bowser and Police Chief Carroll and was briefed on the shooting,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in his own post that he was “Praying for the Park Police officer shot in Washington, D.C. The FBI is actively supporting the investigation alongside our law enforcement partners and will bring those responsible to justice.”