American University
WASHINGTON - Monday afternoon, a little after 3 p.m., a security guard at the WTTG-TV's Fox 5 DC building in the Friendship Heights neighborhood shot a man deemed an intruder.
"He forced his way in by kicking in the door, and the shooting happened in the lobby area of the station,” Washington police Cmdr. Melvin Gresham announced during a statement to the press.
Less than an hour after the incident, the station released a surveillance video of the suspect kicking in two glass doors. After entering the lobby, the unarmed suspect, identified as 38-year-old George Odemns, started walking towards the desk station in the direction of the main part of the building, according to the police report.
The station announced that Odemns was also known to WTTG's leadership and executives after previously sending bizarre emails to staff members.
According to a Fox 5 article, Odemns sued the station for $100 billion, claiming that the company installed a nanochip in him.
Fox 5 reporter Lindsay Watts tweeted, “In 2014, George Odemns claimed he felt he was ‘working for FOX 5 and building the entire company.’ Says he had illegal nanochip in his head. Asked for $100 billion.”
Another tweet of Watts’ claimed that one of the security guards said, “He thought that we was female it wasn't going to get handled. But it did.”
Soon after the shooting, Odemns was placed into an ambulance in a stretcher where he was transported to a nearby hospital. The elimination of the threat however, did not allow for people to exit the building in order for police to conduct interviews. Odemns is in critical, but stable condition, according to the police report.
Fox 5 anchor Jim Lokay tweeted almost 30 minutes after the incident, “We're all okay here at #FOX5DC. Scary. We're going to jump on the air shortly and let you know what's going on.”
Lokay was unable to offer further comment about the interior events of this incident, although, Erica Keane, a senior vice president of corporate communications at Fox News said that the importance of safety to the Fox 5 news staff had to come first.
All of the employees at FOX 5 are safe following the incident.
Charged with burglary in the second degree, Odemns faces a class B felony due to the intent to commit a crime against a person or property therein.
According to reporters, one of the security guards involved in the incident said that she and another guard warned the suspect to step back. When he refused to move backwards, she sprayed him with mace and then the second guard shot him once in the upper body.
Washington police are unable to provide any further information, as this case remains under investigation. Reports have announced that police have been unable to interview Odemns due to his condition.