Police ID Maryland man shot in incident at Peru envoy's home

Gordon Casey, a 19-year-old from Germantown, Maryland, was identified by the Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday as the man who was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service officers this past week at the residence of Peru's ambassador to the United States.

Police said the diplomat and his family were inside the home in the Forest Hills neighborhood of northwest Washington when they heard several windows being smashed Wednesday morning and called the Secret Service.

Officers responding to the call for a burglary in progress encountered a man they said was armed with a metal stake in the rear yard.

The Peruvian ambassador's residence is seen from the street inside its fenced property in northwest Washington, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. U.S. Secret Service officers shot "an intruder" Wednesday at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said. (AP PhotoManuel Balce Ceneta)

District of Columbia Police Chief Robert Contee said officers had used a Taser to try to detain the man, but “those weapons appear to not have any effect on the person.”

Police said the officers “gave multiple commands to the suspect to drop the weapon.” When he didn’t, two officers fired their guns, striking and killing Casey. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators have not revealed any details about a potential motive. Earlier in the week, Contee said police were still trying to learn why the man was at the ambassador’s home and why he was smashing the windows.

U.S. Secret Service Police officers guard the entrance to the Peruvian ambassador's residence in northwest Washington, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. U.S. Secret Service officers shot "an intruder" Wednesday at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said. (AP PhotoManuel Balce Ceneta)

Several windows and doors around the large property had been shattered, he said.

The Peruvian ambassador's residence is seen from the street inside its fenced property in northwest Washington, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. U.S. Secret Service officers shot "an intruder" Wednesday at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said. (AP PhotoManuel Balce Ceneta)

U.S. Secret Service Police guards the entrance to the Peruvian ambassador's residence in northwest Washington, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. U.S. Secret Service officers shot "an intruder" Wednesday at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said. (AP PhotoManuel Balce Ceneta)

U.S. Secret Service officers shot and killed an intruder who was smashing windows at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington on Wednesday, authorities said.

The ambassador and his family were inside the residence in the Forest Hills neighborhood of northwest Washington when they heard several windows being smashed just before 8 a.m. and called the Secret Service. The agency is responsible for protecting foreign dignitaries and missions in the U.S., including embassies and diplomatic residences.

The uniformed Secret Service officers encountered a man, armed with a metal stake, in the rear yard of the residence and deployed a Taser in an effort to detain him, but “those weapons appear to not have any effect on the person," Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said at a news conference.

Washington Metropolitan Police officers walk near the Peruvian ambassador's residence in northwest Washington, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. U.S. Secret Service officers shot "an intruder" Wednesday at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said. (AP PhotoManuel Balce Ceneta)

The officers then shot the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Contee said. His identity has not been released.

The sprawling residence is one of the largest homes in Washington and is surrounded by trees. It is just outside of the 1,754 acre Rock Creek Park that winds through Washington.

Investigators are still trying to discern why the man was at the ambassador's home and why he was smashing the windows, Contee said. Several windows and doors around the large property had been shattered, he said.

“We're still in the very early stages of the investigation,” Contee said. “We don’t know who this individual is, we don’t know why this person was on the ambassador’s residential property.”

Contee said the man appeared to be in his late 20s or 30s and authorities had not yet determined whether he was carrying any type of identification.

Investigators have not yet identified a motive, but Contee said it “appears to be isolated to this particular embassy residence.”