By Associated Press
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Eleven police officers in a suburb of Washington, D.C., have been suspended after two off-duty officers were wounded in what police believe to be an accidental shooting at a holiday party.
The Prince George’s County Police Department said in a statement Monday that both officers were treated at hospitals and released early Sunday.
The statement says the department’s internal affairs division is investigating the shooting, which occurred Saturday evening at a home in Prince George’s County.
Investigators believe a single shot from a privately owned handgun wounded an officer in the hand and then ricocheted before injuring a second officer.
Police department spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan says the investigation will include whether alcohol was a factor in the shooting.
“We want to get down to the bottom of why that gun went off,” she said at a news conference. “We are very fortunate that they weren’t seriously injured.”