US Park Police Officer Charged With Shooting

A gathering of four people, including three US Park Police officers, ended with one of the off-duty officers dead and another in custody early Sunday. The Fairfax County Police Department says officers were called to an apartment in McLean, Virginia, around 12:20am by a person who said somebody had been unintentionally shot, ABC News reports. Officer Jesse Brown Hernandez, 22, was found dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the chest, reports NBC News. Officer Alexander Roy, 25, was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Police said Roy had been playing around with a gun he thought was unloaded

The officer "was attempting to dry fire a firearm," police said in a press release. "Dry firing is when one simulates the discharge of a firearm by pulling the trigger of a firearm that is unloaded." Police said alcohol is believed to be a factor in the shooting. McLean is around 10 miles west of Washington, DC, where the US Park Police protects federal property including the National Mall, among other duties. "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," the service said in a statement. (More US Park Police stories.)