WANTED MAN SHOT AFTER ATTACKING WARRANT TEAM

(UPPER MARLBORO, MD) – A Maryland state trooper assigned to a federal warrant task force shot and wounded a Prince George’s County man this morning after the man charged the trooper and team members with a knife.

The man is identified as Michael W. King, 31, of the 9200-block of Goldenrod Lane, Upper Marlboro, Md. He is undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds at the Prince George’s Hospital Center. He is under police guard at the hospital and criminal charges against him are pending.

The trooper involved is identified as Trooper First Class Wesley Jefferson, a four-year-veteran of the Maryland State Police. TFC Jefferson is assigned to the Maryland State Police Criminal Investigation Division State Apprehension Team. He is currently serving as a member of the United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

At about 8:30 a.m. today, eight members of the task force went to King’s residence to serve a Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office warrant for drug distribution. Members of the team were from the Maryland State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Team members knocked repeatedly on the door of King’s mobile home and announced themselves as police officers. They repeatedly called King by name as they continued to knock on the door and announce their presence. There was no answer.

Police verified King’s vehicle was in the driveway and developed probable cause
that King was inside his home. About 45 minutes after their arrival, team members
entered the residence through a front window. As they went through the window, task
force members continued to announce themselves as police and called King by name.
Task force members were wearing jackets and badges that clearly identified them as
law enforcement officers.

The preliminary investigation indicates that once inside the residence, the team
members were preparing to conduct a tactical search for King. Without warning, King
came around the corner from behind a wall with an upraised knife and ran straight at
team members who were about five feet from him. King was yelling as he ran toward
police.

In fear for his life and the safety of his fellow team members, TFC Jefferson fired
his department-issued .40 caliber Beretta PX4 Storm pistol. King was wounded in the
head and torso. No other members of the team fired their weapons. No law enforcement
officers were injured.

Task force members immediately called for emergency medical services and
administered first aid to King. King was transported by ambulance to the Prince
George’s Hospital Center.

The knife King was holding was recovered at the scene. It is described as a
folding tactical style knife with a curved blade about four inches long.

Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs Unit investigators are conducting an investigation into the police involved shooting. After consultation with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, State Police investigators are applying for a search warrant for King’s residence. Investigators and crime scene technicians remain at the scene and will be searching the home and processing the scene pursuant to the warrant.

TFC Jefferson has been placed on routine administrative leave, which is procedure in police involved shootings. The investigation is continuing.

The United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force was formed to combine law enforcement resources in a cooperative effort to locate and arrest fugitives and wanted criminals, with the ultimate goal of reducing violent crime. Members of the task force include the: US Marshals Service, Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Police Department, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, US Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department.