Postal Special Agent Shoots Employee At Loudoun Post Office

LOVETTSVILLE, VA — A Postal Service special agent shot and wounded a Postal Service employee in a post office parking lot in Lovettsville Wednesday morning, according to a WTOP report. The employee who was shot was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said in a Dec. 4 news release.

The special agent who fired his weapon worked for the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (OIG). In a statement, the OIG described the shooting as a "critial incident" that involved the agent "discharging his firearm and shooting a Postal Service employee." The Postal Service's OIG investigates waste, fraud and misconduct. Special agents are sworn federal law enforcement officers who carry firearms and can make arrests.

The LCSO responded to the shooting, which occurred shortly after 9 a.m. in the 10 block of N. Church Street. The sheriff's office has been requested to conduct the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting in coordination with the Postal Service's OIG, according to the LCSO.

The post office shut down for several hours and reopened at 1 p.m., NBC4 reported. Lovettsville, located in northwestern Loudoun County, has a population of about 2,000 people.

"This is an ongoing investigation and no further details can be released at this time," the OIG said.