The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division is leading the investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting on Friday in Oxon Hill. The decedent is identified as 29-year-old Cedric Williams with no fixed address.
The incident took place on Friday, September 10, 2021, at approximately 12:45 p.m., in the 1100 block of Owens Road. The preliminary investigation revealed an employee of the apartment complex on Owens Road notified the involved officer that a man who was banned from the complex was on the property. The officer, who lives at the complex, attempted to get Williams to leave.
Williams did not comply with the officer’s orders to leave the property. The officer was wearing his police uniform at the time. A verbal confrontation between the decedent and officer turned in a physical struggle outside of the building and onto a roadway. During that struggle, the suspect pulled out a handgun from a bookbag.
Preliminarily, it appears he attempted to fire the weapon at the officer, but the gun did not fire. He then tossed the gun into a wooded area.
Here is the photo of the handgun, which upon further review at the scene, was determined to be a realistic replica. As a comparison, here is a photo of a real Colt 45 handgun.
A real handgun Colt 45 on the left, and the realistic replica Colt 45 on the right
At this point in the confrontation, the officer deployed his Taser twice at the decedent in an attempt to gain control and place him in custody. The Taser deployments were not effective. Moments later, Williams retrieved a second weapon, an AR-15 style rifle from the wooded area and pointed the rifle at the officer. At this point, the officer discharged his duty weapon multiple times, striking and killing Williams. Upon examination following the incident, this rifle was also determined to be a realistic replica.
Here is a photo of the rifle recovered from the suspect and a real AR-15 to show in comparison.
a real AR-15 rifle on the left, and the realistic replica AR-15 on the right
The officer sustained several injuries during the physical altercation with Williams. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment and later released.
The officer joined the department in 2009. He is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol. As is standard procedure, he is now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office reviews all officer-involved shootings.
a Real AR-15 on the left, and a realistic replica AR-15 on the right
Real Colt 45 on the left, and a realistic replica Colt 45 on the right
