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Chief Says Officer Colson 'Mistaken As Armed Threat' When Shot By Another Officer

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WJZ) -- New revelations. Police say the Prince George's County officer shot and killed during a chaotic gun battle was shot by a fellow officer who mistook him for a suspect.

Rick Ritter has the heart-wrenching story.

The chief wants to make one thing clear--he does not believe an officer was intentionally trying to kill another. He described it as a chaotic scene that has many searching for answers.

The chilling death of Prince George's County Officer Jacai Colson takes a wild turn--the department's chief says the shot that killed Colson was deliberately fired by another officer, who mistook him for an armed suspect since he was undercover.

"I do not for a second believe that this was a police officer intentionally firing at another police officer," said Chief Hank Stawinski, Prince George's County Police Department.

The calls came in Sunday afternoon.

Horrifying pictures show Michael Ford armed outside the Prince George's County police station--a rampage investigators say Ford planned and enlisted his brothers, Malik and Elijah, to record, as he expected to die.

"The environment was incredibly chaotic. We had officers under fire," said Chief Stawinski.

All three brothers are being charged with attempted murder. The remaining two were denied bond at a court hearing Wednesday.

Malik passed out in court. His father talked about him, saying: "He didn't pull the trigger. My son is a great person." He added: "I've lost three kids in one shot."

"This will be an interesting case to follow," said Jeffrey Ian Ross, criminologist at the University of Baltimore.

Ross points at evidence many are now looking for.

"Where was each officer stationed? How far away were they? Did both officers know each other?" he said. "These are kinds of things that will hopefully be uncovered."

A very active investigation, where plenty of questions remain unanswered.

All three brothers are being held without bond. Michael Ford still remains hospitalized.

Police have yet to publicly identify the officer who fired at Colson and say that officer still hasn't provided a statement.

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