FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
[email protected]
410-576-7009
BALTIMORE, MD – The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is investigating a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland.
The preliminary investigation revealed that on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at approximately 6:45 p.m., officers with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) were called to a bus stop in the 9600 block of Lost Knife Road for a report of an armed man. Officers from MCPD and GPD encountered a man at the bus stop with what appeared to be a handgun. Officers spoke with the man for several minutes before multiple officers fired their service weapons, striking the man. Officers rendered emergency medical aid until emergency medical services (EMS) arrived on the scene. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered a handgun near the man. No officers were injured during the incident.
The decedent is identified as 46-year-old Elliott Powers of Rockville, Maryland.
The involved MCPD officers are identified as Officer Michael Wengloski, a 12.5-year veteran; Officer Andrew Hanko, an 8-year veteran; and Officer Robert Bullock, a 7-year veteran. Officer Wengloski is assigned to the Special Operations Bureau. Officers Hanko and Bullock are assigned to the Patrol Division.
The involved GPD officers are identified as Officer Noah Whelan, a 5-year veteran; Officer Carissa Fortin, an 8.5-year veteran; and Sergeant Christopher Leach, a 14-year veteran. All GPD officers are assigned to the Patrol Division.
Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576–7070 or by email at [email protected].
Officers were equipped with body-worn cameras. The IID will generally release body-worn camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
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