Montgomery County Police Officer dies from self-inflicted injury

On Oct. 14 at around 8:49 a.m., Montgomery County Police Officer Thomas J. Bomba died from a self-inflicted wound in the parking garage at the corner of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring.

According to a press release from the Montgomery County Police Department, Bomba was performing his normal patrol route and called for assistance after coming upon "disorderly objects" on the top level of the garage. The first cops to arrive saw Bomba suffering from gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to MedStar Washington Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

There was no initial information about a possible suspect, nor was there evidence of people breaking any laws on top of the garage. Bomba was wearing his body camera however it was never activated. The corner of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive was shut down, public transportation buses were interrupted on that road and nearby schools were placed on lockdown. 

In the police department's original press release, Bomba's death was reported as a homicide because there was no evidence to suggest his injury was self-inflicted. On Oct.15, the police department gave an update, stating that it was found to be self-inflicted. "Today, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia has ruled Officer Bomba’s death as the result of a self-inflicted injury," the department stated in the update. 

Bomba was in the Montgomery County Police Department for 13 years, and is survived by his wife and two kids. "[Bomba] was a very dedicated officer who worked in downtown Silver Spring," Acting Police Chief Marcus Jones said.

Several people mourned his loss, including the United States Secret Service, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. "While we all experience stress in our lives, it is difficult to imagine what law enforcement officers are going through on a daily basis. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to Officer Bomba's family, his friends, the Montgomery County Police Department, and our entire public safety workforce," Elrich said.

The department will continue to investigate and make sure they have collected all of the information available to them to complete the investigation. "We continue to evaluate evidence collected at the scene as part of our commitment to completing a thorough and exhaustive investigation," the department stated in a press release.