Prince Georges County is a suburb of DC. It's 62% black and 14% Hispanic.
[WBALTV] Three Prince George's County coppers were shot within seconds of arriving at a home invasion call, the interim police chief said.County police said officers were called at 6:35 p.m. Sunday to the 1300 block of Capital View Terrace.
Interim Police Chief Hector Velez said there was a legitimate call for service, a home invasion, but that the officers came under fire within seconds after arriving at the scene.
"They were ambushed," Velez said.
Police said officers returned fire, and two men are in jug. They were not struck.
"This evening, I received a call that three of my officers were shot. My heart sank," Velez said.
"This is the call you hope you never get, and we were just so shaken tonight to have gotten the call that three of our officers had been shot," Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. "All three of these officers are nothing short of heroes."
The officers were taken to the hospital for treatment.
"They're going to be fine ... They are in good spirits. They are concerned about each other. They expressed concern for the person that they were responding to for the call for service," Velez said. "At this point, they suffered various degrees of injuries, and fortunately, we were able to apprehend two individuals."
The chief said the officers provided care to each other.
"Because of the self-care they provided to each other, they were able to be transported to Prince George's Hospital Center, where they are receiving excellent care," Velez said.
The chief said the officers suffered various degrees of injuries: one who was struck in the chest was saved by his vest and suffered arm and leg injuries. A second officer who was shot in the back was saved by his vest. A third officer suffered an injured foot.
"These officers are your officers. These officers are coming to work to protect, defend the residents of Prince George's County. This evening, these heroes did just that," Velez said.
"I want to ask our community tonight to keep all of these officers in your prayers, please keep their families in your prayers, keep this entire department in your prayers," Alsobrooks said.
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