Update: Takoma Park Police charged Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer David Hall Dixon with first degree assault, second degree assault, and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime, after a video surfaced of Dixon pointing a gun at an unhoused woman having a mental health crisis in an apartment building lobby in May 2020.

The video circulated on Friday, after Takoma Park Police charged Dixon with the murders of two Maryland residents, and the attempted murder of another individual. Dixon shot and killed the two individuals early on the morning of April 7 in the parking lot of the Takoma Overlook Condominiums, the same apartment building where the assault against the woman also took place.

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Officers have arrested David Hall Dixon, an off-duty Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer who fatally shot two people in an apartment complex parking lot in Takoma Park, Maryland, earlier this week.

During the early morning hours on Wednesday, Takoma Park officers arrived at the Takoma Overlook Condominium on New Hampshire Avenue, responding to reports of gunfire. Dixon approached the police and told them that two people were breaking into a car.

The people in the car began to drive off and Dixon fired into the car, striking Maryland residents Dominique Williams, 32, and James Johnson, 38, police said in a statement. Williams and Johnson died at the Prince George’s County hospital shortly after the incident.

Takoma Park Police arrested Dixon on Friday morning without incident. He’s been charged with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and use of a handgun in committing a felony. He was also charged with the attempted murder of 36-year-old Michael Thomas of D.C., the driver of the car.

Officials from Takoma Park Police said Dixon was not in uniform at the time of the shootings and is not believed to have jurisdiction as a law enforcement officer in Maryland.

“We encourage people not to take action if there’s criminal activity,” police chief Antonio Devaul said in a press briefing Friday afternoon. “Be a good witness, but call us.”

Dixon had been an officer with the Pentagon force since 2019 and had previously been a federal officer and a combat crewman in the Air Force, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense. The spokesperson added that Dixon had been placed on administrative leave, per department policy, and that the PFPA is conducting its own investigation into the shooting.

On Friday afternoon, video of Dixon pointing a gun at an unhoused woman having a mental health crisis in an apartment building lobby last May surfaced. Takoma Park police responded to the scene at the time, according to a statement from the department. Dixon said in an interview with officers that he went upstairs to his apartment to retrieve pepper spray and a gun after the woman blocked the entry to the building. He told police he used pepper spray on the woman, but did not mention pointing a gun at her, as is clear in the video footage.

“Based on the recent video released to the Takoma Park Police Department, we will be filing criminal charges against Mr. Dixon for his actions in assaulting the involved female on May 6, 2020,” the police statement concludes.

During a press briefing Thursday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich called the killings troubling, adding: “You can’t shoot people for property crimes, you can’t do that … It’s really disturbing. He had no authority, as I understand it, in Montgomery County. The idea that he drew his gun as opposed to pick up his cellphone and call the police, which is the more appropriate response, is troubling.”

“We appreciate the community’s patience in this case as we conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation,” Takoma Park police said in a statement.

In March, an off-duty Pentagon officer shot and wounded a teenager who he said tried to rob him in Southeast D.C.

This story has been updated with statements from the Takoma Park police department and information about the May 6, 2020 video footage of Dixon. 

Margaret Barthel contributed reporting.

Previously:
Off-Duty Pentagon Police Officer Fatally Shoots Two People In Takoma Park