Officer in Herndon Shooting Won't
Face Charges: Police
By Dan Taylor (Patch Staff) - May
21, 2017 1:01 pm ET
________________________________________
HERNDON, VA — A police officer
who fatally shot a man after a double shooting and barricade situation in
Herndon earlier this year won't face any criminal charges for his actions, the
Fairfax County Police Department announced in a statement.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's
Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh informed Police Chief Col. Edwin Roessler on May 19
that he found "no basis for criminal liability on the part of the
officer," the statement notes.
Master Police Officer Lance
Guckenberger, a 16-year veteran of the force who fought for months to keep
himself anonymous until his name was released in early March, shot to death
Mohammad Azim Doudzai in the 13300 block of Covered Wagon Lane on Jan. 16.
Doudzai allegedly shot two men at that location and then barricaded himself in
his home, which eventually caught fire, endangering the life of another person
in the house.
"Due to the escalating
violent and threatening behavior by Mohammad Azim Doudzai and the urgent safety
concerns for the person trapped in the home who was reporting to Dispatchers
that he was having trouble breathing, Master Police Officer Lance Guckenberger,
a 16-year veteran currently assigned to the Special Operations Division
deployed his department issued firearm to stop the active threat created by
Mohammad Azim Doudzai and allowed the rescue of the trapped man in the
home," the statement reads.
Police will conduct an internal
administrative investigation "in accordance with our standard operating
procedures," police said.
"Once the administrative
investigation is completed, the Chief will make a decision whether to release
9-1-1 audio tapes and Helicopter video related to this incident," the
statement adds.