PGPD PGPD Charges Officer in Connection with Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting; Handcuffed Man Shot Seven Times

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Michael Owen​

The Prince George’s County Police Department charged a patrol officer in connection with the fatal officer-involved shooting in Temple Hills on Monday night. The involved officer is Corporal Michael Owen, Jr. He is a 10-year veteran assigned to the Bureau of Patrol. He’s charged with fatally shooting 43-year-old William Howard Green of Southeast, Washington DC.

On January 27th, at approximately 7:20 pm, officers were dispatched to the area of St. Barnabas Road and Winston Street for the report of a traffic accident. Owen and a second officer were advised by witnesses on scene that Green had struck their vehicle. The officers approached Green who was in his car nearby. The preliminary investigation reveals Green was removed from his car and at the time was believed to be under the influence of a substance. He was handcuffed and placed in the front seat of Owen’s cruiser as they awaited the arrival of a drug recognition expert. As they waited, Owen got into the driver’s seat of his cruiser and was now seated next to Green. A short time later, for reasons that are now at the center of the investigation, Green was shot seven times by the officer’s duty weapon.

Following the shooting, Owen and the second officer removed Green from the cruiser and used their department-issued trauma kits to provide medical aid to Green. He was transported to a hospital where he died a short time later.

Owen is charged with second degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, first degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. He was taken into custody late this afternoon.

The PGPD has received several questions about why Owen placed Green in the front seat of the cruiser. Here is the directive our officers follow according to the department’s General Orders - Volume II, Chapter 4: One officer may transport one arrestee, who will occupy the right front seat. For vehicles equipped with transport partitions, arrestees will occupy the right rear seat. Owen’s cruiser did not have a partition.

If anyone has information on this investigation, they are asked to please call detectives at 301-856-2660. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.

 

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[Editor]

Hoyer Statement on the Police Shooting in Temple Hills

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement on the police shooting in Temple Hills, Maryland:

“As citizens, we hold the men and women who protect our communities to the highest standard, and I strongly agree with Chief Hank Stawinski that ‘there are no circumstances under which this outcome is acceptable.’ This is a tragedy for our community that should have never occurred. My prayers are with William Green’s family and friends, and I share their sadness, am outraged by this incident, and join in demanding the facts and justice.

“I appreciate the swift investigation undertaken by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Chief Stawinski and am confident State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy will conduct a thorough investigation into what transpired on Monday evening. I will continue to monitor this situation closely as the facts are uncovered, and I will continue to work with all community stakeholders to improve the transparency and training of our police departments, including expanding the use of body cameras by all officers and taking steps to prevent the use of excessive force. Together, we must take steps to ensure justice and prevent another tragedy such as this moving forward.”