Wednesday, February 23, 2011 – Steve Fermier and Associated Press

A man has been shot by an off-duty police officer outside a Rockville middle school.

Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks says the man was in a car that was stopped by a Maryland-National Capital Park Police officer about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday near the Redland Middle School because its tags weren’t visible.

Starks says the officer smelled marijuana in the car and called for help.

An off-duty Montgomery County officer arrived, and a man inside the car got out. Starks says the man ignored the officer’s commands to stop and reached for his waistband. The officer opened fire, and the man was struck in the lower body.

He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Starks says police recovered drugs from the car and arrested three others.