Off-duty FBI agent fatally shoots person at DC Metro station

An off-duty FBI agent fatally shot a person after an altercation inside a bustling Washington D.C. train station Wednesday evening, police said.

The agent was at the Metro Center station when they got into an altercation with another person on the train platform just after 6: 20 p.m. Ashan Benedict, executive assistant chief of police for Metropolitan Police Department, said in a news conference.

One of the individuals grabbed the other and both fell down an 8-foot drop over a side wall, which was away from the train tracks at the end of the platform, and continued to struggle, police said.

Both of the individuals go off the wall and the struggle continues. Benedict said that shots are fired during the struggle.

The off-duty veteran FBI special agent was the one who opened fire and the victim shot was pronounced dead, Benedict said.

The FBI agent was transported to an area hospital for treatment for minor injuries.

It is not clear what caused the argument.

Benedict said when asked if the off-duty agent started the altercation, he appears to be the victim. It is not clear if the shooting victim had a gun. The police said they hadn't recovered another firearm late Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate and there will be help from the FBI if there is no threat to the train system.

During rush hour, the sound of gunfire caused a scare at the station.

Witness Lisa Crawford said her train pulled into Metro Center and what she saw was like a zombie movie.

People were running for their lives. Crawford said something and yelled, Everybody get down! Before the train moved on to the next station, the train operator told passengers to get off.