WALDORF — A private security guard shot and killed a man who had just stabbed another patron during a fight inside a Waldorf bar early Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
The man who died was identified as William Pierre Strong, 41, of Waldorf. The man he stabbed was treated for injuries that do not appear to be life threatening, the sheriff’s office said. No one has been charged, and detectives will present the case to the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether the guard’s use of deadly force was legally justified.
Officers were called to The Cut Bar & Restaurant at 2570 Business Park Court around 1:46 a.m. for a reported stabbing and shooting.
What investigators say happened
According to the sheriff’s office’s preliminary investigation, two men got into an altercation inside the bar. During the confrontation, one of them pulled a knife and threatened the other.
A private security guard working at the business tried to step in and grab the man’s hand and the knife, police said. As the struggle continued, the man stabbed the other patron once in the abdomen.
When the man appeared to make another attempt to stab the victim, the guard fired his gun, hitting him once in the chest, the sheriff’s office said. The man walked out of the bar and collapsed in the parking lot, where officers found him with the knife still in his hand. Officers and emergency medical crews gave him medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s office identified that man as Strong. It did not name the man who was stabbed or the security guard, and it did not say what led to the fight or whether the two men knew each other.
What happens next
The case now goes to prosecutors. Maryland law allows a person to use force, including deadly force, to defend someone else when the person reasonably believes the other person faces an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm and the force used is not more than the threat requires. Whether a shooting meets that standard is a decision for the State’s Attorney’s Office and, if charges are filed, the courts.
The sheriff’s office described the investigation as active and ongoing and said no additional information was available. It did not say whether the guard was licensed or which security company employed him.
Bar violence has been in front of Charles County courts this fall. In October, a Bryans Road man was sentenced to 35 years for a shooting at a White Plains bar.
Anyone with information about the Waldorf case is asked to call Detective Logsdon at 301-609-6436. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 can contact Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS, submit a tip at charlescountycrimesolvers.com or use the P3 Intel mobile app.
