A man who allegedly fired a gun today at a Metro Transit Police detective is dead after the detective was forced to shoot the man for his own safety, said Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials.

The detective was in the middle of an investigation at about 12:30 p.m. in the 7000 block of Lory Lane in Lanham when an armed man appeared and fired “several shots” at the detective, a WMATA release states. The detective returned fire and struck the suspect, who died on the scene, the release states.

The suspect and detective have not yet been identified by WMATA.

The detective, who was not injured, has been placed on administrative duty until the investigation into the shooting is completed, the release states.

No information was immediately available about whether the suspect was linked to the investigation that brought the detective to the Lanham street, and additional details are still under investigation, wrote Caroline Lukas, a media relations manager for WMATA, in an email to The Gazette.

nmcgill@gazette.net