WASHINGTON – In a distressing turn of events, just hours after Acting D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith was questioned about the alarming levels of violence in the District, reports have emerged that five individuals have been shot in Northeast, resulting in the loss of two lives.
At almost 10 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department was notified of a shooting that occurred on 14th Street Northeast and Saratoga Avenue Northeast through a phone call.
Initially, law enforcement officials suspected that four males had been shot. Nevertheless, a representative for the department verified with FOX 5 that five men were hit by gunfire. Two of the individuals are currently conscious and breathing, while the other two were declared deceased at the location.
According to law enforcement officials, the fifth individual voluntarily made his way to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
During an interview with FOX 5, a resident of the neighborhood recounted the unsettling moment of gunfire, describing it as resembling a “war zone”.
Officials have reported that five individuals were shot in Northeast, with two fatalities, just hours after Acting D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith was questioned about the escalating violence in the District.
Following his testimony at the Wilson Building in front of the D.C. Council’s Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, Chief Smith addressed the community once again at the site of the shooting, even though it was well past midnight.
According to her statement, the department is currently on the lookout for three individuals who were spotted making a getaway in a gray SUV from the location of the incident.
On Wednesday, the D.C. Council Public Safety and Judiciary Committee conducted its inaugural roundtable discussion on the mayor’s candidate for the highest-ranking law enforcement official in D.C. The talks were intense and emotionally charged.
According to Smith, it’s difficult to determine whether adding more officers would have prevented the recent occurrence. However, he did mention that they have officers stationed in areas where crime rates are high based on evidence and data. Smith believes that the crimes are mostly occurring between rival gangs and are a result of longstanding conflicts. He also emphasized the need to focus on getting guns off the streets to reduce the frequency of these incidents.
According to Melanie Alnwick from FOX 5, a local resident made a shocking discovery on Thursday morning. One of the bullets fired had hit his vehicle’s radio and brake lines. The man expressed his frustration, saying that despite trying to adapt to the situation, it’s impossible to do so as there’s always a fear of getting hit.
According to Alnwick, the recent killings mark the 210th and 211th homicides of the year.
