Updated 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, 2022 — Police discharged their guns during a narcotics investigation in Dale City, and two men were taken to a hospital.
It’s early in the investigation, and it’s unclear if the men were shot by police.
Police exchanged gunfire with suspects during a narcotics investigation in the 14700 block of Fox Glove Court, just off Cloverdale Road in Dale City, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Police were investigating a suspected narcotics operation in the area.
Four police officers, members of a multi-agency narcotics task force, discharged their weapons; two are detectives with the Prince William County Police Department, and two are detectives with the Manassas police department.
No members of the task force were struck or injured during the exchange.
A 30-year-old man and another unidentified man, suspects of the operation, were struck and taken to an area hospital to treat gunshot wounds to the upper body. Their current condition is unknown at this time.
A third person, an 18-year-old man, was also present during the exchange and was uninjured. Police reported no other injuries.
Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham and Manassas City Police Chief Doug Keen, the regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) were activated to conduct the criminal investigation into the officer’s actions during the incident.
The Arlington County Police Department will lead the criminal investigation along with other members from agencies in the region serving on the team. No agency involved in the shooting will be a part of the criminal investigation. Once the investigation is complete, Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth will determine criminal liability regarding the actions by police.
Prince William police, the agency charged with releasing new information about the narcotics case, states it will provide more details once they are available.
Meanwhile, the detectives involved in this incident will be placed on routine paid leave by their respective agencies as both investigations continue.
At this time, investigators want to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident.
