Crime & Safety

Suspect Charged with Shooting Off-Duty Officer

Officer Rachael Jacob suffers a gunshot wound to the leg in early morning incident Saturday at a nightclub.

Prince George's County police identified the early Saturday morning as Rachael Jacob, a four-year veteran of the county police force.

According to police, Jacob was shot in the leg at about 12:30 a.m. on July 28 while working in uniform as a part-time security guard for the Galaxy nightclub at 2031 University Blvd. in Chillum. 

The shooting came shortly after a man and two women were reportedly kicked out of the club for being disorderly. The trio then stepped into a white Honda nearby, at which point the driver fired several shots into the club entrance where Jacob was struck by a single round. 

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Officers returned fire as the Honda sped away, but it was stopped by police not too far down the road. According to police, all three of the subjects were taken into custody and a single handgun was claimed as evidence. 

Police later charged 32-year-old Beltsville resident Kelly Gilliss with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and using a handgun in the commission of a crime. 

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When asked why the suspects might have fired into the club, Julie Parker, public information officer for the county police department, told The Washington Post that Gillis was likely targeting the officers and staff who ejected him from the club


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