Police in Prince George's County have identified the teenager who they said tried to rob an off-duty D.C. police officer before fatally shooting him.
Prince George's County police said Jonathan Washington, 16, attempted to rob D.C. police Sgt. Clifton Rife (pictured, right) as he was leaving a friends' apartment in Oxon Hill, Md., at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The two became involved in a shootout, at the apartment complex in the 5400 block of Livingston Terrace, High said. Washington was killed on the scene and Rife later died at the hospital.
Officers said the teenager lives in the same apartment complex where the shooting happened. Police believe he was acting alone and did not know he was trying to rob a police officer. D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey said Rife, 34, was a 13-year veteran of the force who was a detective with the narcotics unit. Ramsey said he leaves behind a wife and two kids. Family members, fellow officers and friends met at the Prince George's Hospital Center Wednesday morning to console each other. Rife is the second D.C. police officer to die within the past week. Sgt. John Ashley died Sunday while chasing a dog that had run away from its owner.