Prosecutor clears SWAT officer in fatal shooting

HERNDON, Va. – A prosecutor says he won’t bring charges against a SWAT officer who fatally shot a man in Virginia earlier this year.

Police say 32-year-old Mohammad Azim Doudzai had shot and wounded his two brothers and set his townhouse on fire Jan. 16 before police were called. Doudzai’s roommate was also trapped in a smoke-filled bathroom.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh released a report Friday in which he said that Master Police Officer Lance Guckenberger fired three shots from a sniper position at Doudzai, who was high on cocaine and nitrous oxide. Doudzai was struck all three times, but the report says he continued to wield a knife before eventually succumbing to his injuries.

The report concluded that Doudzai’s roommate may well have died if Guckenberger had not taken action.