No charges filed against Metropolitan Police Department officer who shot civilian while off-duty

A Metropolitan Police Department officer will not face charges for his shooting last July of an armed civilian in Southwest D.C., the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Jason Bagshaw was off-duty with his wife at a restaurant in the Wharf neighborhood at the time of the incident. 

Sometime after 9 p.m. on July 16 Cmdr. Bagshaw saw a commotion elsewhere in the restaurant, noticing employees and other patrons crouch down and crawl away. 

Cmdr. Bagshaw was equipped with a Glock 17 service pistol, and he and his wife walked toward the scene. He then saw Lazarus Wilson pointing a gun at another person in what appeared to him to be a robbery in progress.

Cmdr. Bagshaw said “MPD, drop the gun!” but Wilson did not comply.  Cmdr. Bagshaw fired his Glock, striking Wilson once in his left cheek. Wilson would be pronounced dead at the hospital later that night.

After reviewing eyewitness accounts, surveillance footage, forensic reports and other evidence, federal investigators concluded there was not enough proof to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Cmdr. Bagshaw used excessive force during the incident.

Wilson’s gun and a bag containing around $30,000 were recovered at the scene.

Wilson’s family disputes the official version of events. They say he had his gun out to protect his friend from being robbed by another person with a firearm.