In the early hours of a Tuesday in March 2009, a chaotic and violent scene unfolded outside a Temple Hills, Maryland sports bar that ended the life of Nicholas A. Howard. The 26-year-old man from Southeast Washington, D.C., was fatally shot in a confrontation with police that saw at least 14 officers discharge their weapons. The incident began shortly after midnight on March 17, 2009, at Gill's Holiday Liquor Sports Bar and Restaurant on Branch Avenue. Employees at the bar had called 911 to report that a handgun had fallen from Howard's pocket.
When the first officers from both the Prince George's County Police Department and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police arrived, they escorted Howard outside to pat him down. According to police, Howard broke free, pulled out a. 40-caliber pistol, and opened fire on the officers. This initial exchange left Howard with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, after which he retreated back inside the restaurant.
A witness, a friend of Howard's, disputed this official account, claiming that the police fired first.
What happened next escalated the already tense situation. Inside the crowded bar, Howard briefly took an inebriated woman hostage at gunpoint. His friend pleaded with him to surrender, and Howard eventually released the woman. Soon after, he emerged from the bar and fired two more rounds, prompting a massive volley of return fire from the assembled officers. An estimated 90 bullets were fired by at least 14 officers, riddling Howard and the front of the bar. No one else was injured in the hail of gunfire.
In the aftermath of the shooting, all 14 officers who fired their weapons—12 from Prince George's County and two from the Park Police—were placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the use of deadly force. This is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. Authorities stated that their initial investigation suggested the shooting was justified, though some concerns were raised within the department that some officers may have violated policy by firing over other officers who were closer to Howard. A friend of Howard's who witnessed the event maintained that the police response was excessive, stating that they continued to fire after Howard was already on the ground and deceased. Howard had a prior criminal record, including a guilty plea for second-degree assault on two county officers in 2002. An autopsy was conducted on March 18, 2009, to determine the exact cause and manner of his death.
