Investigation Completed Into An Armed Individual Fatally Shot By Police

Friday, May 2, 2025

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). On Feb. 18, 2025, a 29-year-old District resident, S.Z., died after being shot by the police. The officers encountered S.Z., who brandished a knife as he attempted to carjack a woman, and they fatally shot him.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the MPD Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, security camera footage, Metro Bus footage, BWC footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, autopsy results, and reports from MPD.

According to the evidence, at about 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2025, S.Z. intentionally drove his vehicle into a MPD cruiser as it was waiting at a red light at an intersection on Georgia Avenue. S.Z. exited his vehicle, brandished a knife, and menaced the officer driving the cruiser. The officer fired a single shot that resulted in a minor injury to S.Z.’s shoulder. S.Z. ran down Georgia Avenue as other officers responded to the scene. S.Z. ignored the officers’ commands to drop the knife and get on the ground. S.Z. eventually charged at a woman sitting in a parked vehicle and attempted to carjack her. S.Z. attempted to stab the woman with the knife after S.Z. opened the driver’s door.  An MPD officer discharged his firearm at S.Z. and he fell to the ground. Despite life saving efforts, S.Z. died on the scene.

After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers willfully violated S.Z.’s rights.

Investigations generally

The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.