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Officer charged with killing William Green has history of firing his service weapon, records show

Cpl. Michael Owen shot William Green seven times in Temple Hill, police say.

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — The Prince George's County police officer charged with second-degree murder after fatally shooting a man in Temple Hills Monday night has a history of firing his issued service weapon, The Washington Post reports.

Corporal Michael Owen, 31, has worked with the department for 10 years and is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol. 

According to The Washington Post, in 2011, Owen had been with Prince George's County Police Department for two years and was leaving a Toys for Tots event at police headquarters when he saw a man lying in the grass. Owen was in uniform but was driving an unmarked van. 

The Post reported that Owen stopped to help the man and the man threatened Owen with a revolver. 

Owen shot 35-year-old Rodney Edwards several times, killing him. The Post reported that investigators found Edwards' loaded revolver on the scene.

Owen was also involved in a 2009 shooting. The Washington Post reported that Owen was off-duty when a "would-be" robber shot through a hooded sweatshirt he was wearing, but Owen's body wasn't struck by gunfire. Owen returned fire, and the would-be robber fled. 

RELATED: Prince George's County police officer charged with murder in fatal shooting of handcuffed man

Owen wasn't charged in either incident. At Owen's bond hearing Wednesday, a prosecutor said they will review the 2011 shooting at the request of Edward's family. 

Owen worked in the Prince George's Public Information Office in 2015. 

Now Owen is being charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and associated weapons charges in the death of William Green, 42. He was denied bond during a hearing on Wednesday, according to authorities.

Chief Hank Stawinski called the announcement "the most difficult moment of my tenure as your Chief of Police." 

Charging documents show a detailed encounter between Owen and Green.

Police said on Tuesday that they received a 911 call reporting a driver who had struck multiple cars along St. Barnabas Road and ending at Winston Street.

Owen was called to respond to the location, according to court documents. A witness told Owen and a second witness that Green was in his car sleeping, according to the documents.  

Owen and the second witness walked up to Green's car and noticed that he was asleep, charging documents said. 

Green was then taken out of his car and, "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance," court documents read. While police originally reported Tuesday that Green appeared to be under the influence of PCP, they have since ruled it out as a factor. 

Owen then placed Green in handcuffs and put him in the front passenger seat of his police car, according to charging documents. This is a part of Prince George's County Police Department's policy

According to the PGPD's general orders -- a set of directives and operational procedures --, officers are told to transport a person who is arrested in the "right front seat" if there is no rear partition separating the arrestee and the officer. 

RELATED: Here's why police say William Green was put in the front seat of a police cruiser before he was killed

About five to 10 minutes later, the second witness, "heard gunshots and when he went to (Owen's) vehicle he observed (Green) still seated and handcuffed behind his back, in the passenger's seat suffering from multiple gunshot wounds," court documents state.

Owen fired his gun seven times, hitting Green multiple times, according to court documents.

Responding officers arrived at the scene around 7:19 p.m. and found Green lying next to the police cruiser with gunshot wounds. A Prince George's police spokesperson said officers attempted life-saving measures on Green.

When paramedics arrived at the scene, Green was still in handcuffs when he was removed from the police car. Paramedics and officers removed the handcuffs from behind his back and transported him to the United Medical Center where he died.

Charging documents said police searched Green's vehicle and Owen's police cruiser and found no weapons. They were unable to find any evidence indicating that there was a fight that ensued between the two.

During a news conference on Wednesday, PGPD Police Chief Hank Stawinski said they had no witnesses that saw a struggle between the officer and shooting victim. They said it still remains unclear if Green wore a seatbelt when he was in the front seat of the cruiser.

Owen was placed on administrative leave Monday evening and was taken into custody late Tuesday afternoon. The incident wasn't caught on a body camera because Owen wasn't wearing one, police said.

RELATED: Nationally prominent civil rights attorney taking Prince George's police shooting case

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