Census Bureau guard fatally shot; suspect nabbed after chase, shootout

A guard at the U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Maryland was shot at least once Thursday evening before the suspect and a Washington, D.C., police officer were shot following a high-speed chase, officials said.

The guard died at the hospital, according to the Associated Press.

The initial shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. local time at the U.S. Census Bureau headquarters building in Suitland, Md., said Mark Brady, spokesman for Prince George’s County Fire Department.

“The guard suffered at least one gunshot wound to the upper torso,” Brady said.

The FBI responded to the scene.

“Situation ended in D.C., and looks like it started there as well,” FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson said in an email.

The suspect was seen in front of the Census Bureau in a car arguing with a woman whom he is believed to have kidnapped. When the guard approached the vehicle, the suspect opened fire, the Washington Post reported.

The suspect then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a shootout in the 1100 block of H Street NE, a commercial corridor, said Lt. Kelvin Cusick, a spokesman for the D.C. Police Department.

A police officer was shot in the leg and the suspect was shot during the exchange, Cusick said. No other injuries were reported.

It is unclear where the suspect was shot, but he is alive and in custody. The condition of the officer was not released.

The Census Bureau released a statement on Twitter saying that employees’ safety was its primary concern and that it is “currently making sure everyone is safe and secure.”

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