Secret Service officers fatally shot an intruder on Wednesday morning at a mansion in Northwest Washington that has long served as the Peruvian ambassador’s residence, officials said.
Robert J. Contee III, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said a man in his 20s or 30s smashed several windows in the back of the residence, in the 3000 block of Garrison Street Northwest, adding that it was unclear if he had entered the home. After officers were called to the residence shortly before 8 a.m., they unsuccessfully fired their stun guns at the man, who was holding a metal stake in the backyard, Chief Contee said.
Two officers then fired their guns, Chief Contee said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We don’t know why this person smashed out several windows, we don’t know why this person had a metal stake, we don’t know why this person approached the officers with this metal stake, but we’re investigating this now,” he told reporters.
The two officers were taken to a hospital for evaluation, Chief Contee said. He did not know the extent of their injuries but said they were not life-threatening.
The Peruvian ambassador and his wife were home at the time and were not injured, Chief Contee said. Peru’s ambassador to the United States is Oswaldo de Rivero, according to the embassy’s website.
Peru has been roiled in recent weeks by violent protests over rising fuel, fertilizer and food prices, but it was unclear if there was any connection to Wednesday’s intrusion.
Peru purchased the home as the embassy’s residence in 1944, according to Diplomatic Connections. In 2019, WTTG-TV described the residence, which was built in 1928, as “a massive home that sits on D.C.’s largest private property,” totaling 25 acres. It contained “room after room of Peruvian treasures,” with ancient art and sculptures dating back 1,500 years, the Fox affiliate reported.