US Park Police officer fatally shoots fellow officer in attempted dry fire, police say

Zoe Wells, USA TODAY
·1 min read
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An off-duty U.S. Park Police officer fatally shot another off-duty officer after police say he pulled the trigger on a gun he thought was unloaded.

Police responded to a call of a person shot in McLean, Virginia, about 10 miles west of Washington, D.C. and found Jesse Brown Hernandez, 22, dead inside his apartment with a gunshot wound in his upper body, according to a news release from Fairfax County Police Department.

Officials found that Alexander Roy, 25, attempted to dry fire a firearm and unintentionally shot Hernandez. Police believe that alcohol played a factor in the unintentional shooting.

Dry firing is when someone pulls the trigger of a firearm that is not loaded. Police believe that Roy did not realize that the firearm was loaded when he accidentally shot Hernandez.

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Fairfax County Police position themselves outside the home of fallen officer Brian Sicknick on Jan. 8, 2021 in Springfield, Va.
Fairfax County Police position themselves outside the home of fallen officer Brian Sicknick on Jan. 8, 2021 in Springfield, Va.

Four people were in the apartment at the time of the shooting; three of the individuals were off-duty U.S. Park Police officers, police said.

Roy was charged with involuntary manslaughter, police said. He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on no bond.

Fairfax County police are asking that anybody with information about the shooting should contact the department.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Park Police officer fatally shot fellow officer in dry fire attempt