US Park Police officer accidentally shoots colleague dead

Alexander Roy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter

File: Police tape surrounds a crime scene where three people were shot on 23 June, 2021 in Chicago (Getty Images)

An off-duty US Park Police officer has been arrested after he allegedly shot and killed another off-duty officer at a Virginia apartment Sunday morning.

Officials responded to a shooting incident in the 1700 block of Old Meadow Road around 12.20am in Mclean, approximately 10 miles west of Washington DC, after an unknown 911 caller reported that an adult man had accidentally been shot inside of an apartment.

Upon arrival, officials discovered that 25-year-old Alexander Roy had allegedly shot 22-year-old Jesse Brown Hernandez.

The victim was found dead with a gunshot wound to his upper body, police said.

It’s believed that Mr Roy did not know that his weapon was loaded at the time of the incident. According to a news release issued by the Fairfax County Police Department, he was attempting to fire an unloaded weapon before allegedly shooting Mr Hernandez.

However, the firearm was indeed loaded and Mr Hernandez was fatally wounded. Authorities believe alcohol may have played a factor in the incident.

Out of the four individuals present at the apartment at the time of the shooting, three were off-duty US Park Police (USPP) officials, officials said. All were known to each other, officials said.

Mr Roy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and is being held at Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. Officials reached the decision after consulting with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Sergeant Thomas Twiname, a spokesperson for the US Park Police, said the department is aware of the incident but did not provide additional details. The ongoing investigation is being handled by Fairfax County police, the spokesperson said, and referred additional questions to their department.

“Our focus right now is on supporting the family, friends and coworkers of our employees involved in this tragic incident. USPP has nothing further to share at this time.”