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 All three brothers were in custody on Monday and were facing
murder charges and other counts in the fatal shooting of Prince
George's County Police Officer First Class Jacai Colson, 28, who was
off duty when he was hit at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Police said the accused gunman, 22-year-old Michael Ford of
Landover, Maryland, appeared ready to die. He recorded his last will
and testament on a cell phone just minutes before his two brothers,
21-year-old Malik Ford and 18-year-old Elijah Ford, drove him to
police headquarters.
Michael Ford suffered non-threatening gunshot wounds in the
incident, police said.
Chief Hank Stawinski said at a Monday afternoon press conference
that Ford, who has a history of mental illness, appears to have
begun firing at random, aiming at the police building, parked cars
and an ambulance.
Colson fired back almost immediately and ended up drawing fire,
giving other officers a chance to get into position, Stawinski said.
Preliminary evidence showed he was hit by another officer's bullet.
"He demonstrated extreme heroism," the chief said.
At least one of the brothers stood nearby and recorded the gunfight
on his phone, police said.
The motive remained unclear, and a visibly angry Stawinski said it
was difficult to understand the rationale behind the Fords' actions.
Four officers, including Colson, discharged their weapons during the
gunfight, but Stawinski said he was not yet prepared to identify
which officer fired the fatal round.
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Malik and Elijah Ford fled the scene shortly after the shooting
began but were soon taken into custody.
Colson was a four-year veteran and had been a narcotics detective in
Prince George's County, which borders the District of Columbia.
The shooting came just weeks after two Harford County sheriff's
deputies were shot by a gunman at a restaurant near Baltimore on
Feb. 10.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered flags lowered to half-staff in
honor of Colson.
"The first lady and I send our sincere prayers to the family and
loved ones of Officer Colson, who made the ultimate sacrifice in
service to his fellow citizens and community," Hogan said in a
statement late on Sunday.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch condemned the attack on Monday
as a "heinous act of violence and a cowardly crime."
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Additional reporting by
Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Cynthia Osterman)
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