The Post reported this morning that an off-duty police officer shot and killed a suspected robber in the 5300 block of B Street SE at about 5 a.m. Sunday. The killing marks the second police-involved fatal shooting in 2009.

The MPD’s story is this: an 18-year police veteran, who the department won’t identify, was off-duty and in his personal vehicle on B Street when Jelani Khalid Slay, 34, approached the car wearing a mask and tried to rob the officer. The officer then got out of his car and exchanged gunfire with Slay. Slay was shot and fled, and was found dead a short time later. The officer was not injured. Police also say they believe Slay tried to rob and ended up shooting someone else earlier that morning; that person has not been identified, but their injuries were reportedly not life-threatening.

WJLA has followed up with its own report, which identifies Slay as a Metrobus driver who had been employed by Metro for two years. They quote a girlfriend of Slay’s expressing disbelief at the MPD’s version of events, but have also uncovered Slay’s criminal history, which includes a 1995 conviction for robbery and gun possession. Metro’s hiring policies dictate that job candidates with felony convictions may be hired if it has been more than 10 years since the conviction.