‘This is not a warzone.’ DC police chief says 3 dead, 2 injured in mass shooting – WTOP

The Metropolitan Police Department is responding to a shooting in Southeast Saturday night, police said. (Christian Flores, 7News)

Three have died, and at least two have been hospitalized, in what D.C. Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith called a senseless act of violence in Southeast.

“Let me be clear: this gun violence has to stop. It is incredibly frustrating. We know that someone in the community knows what’s happening,” Smith said.

Officers responded to the shooting near the intersection of Good Hope Road and 16th Street SE between 8-9 p.m. According to Smith, officers were in the area already when they heard the shots. Upon responding to the scene, they found the five victims — four males and one female.

Two males and a female died at the scene of the shooting. The other two males were taken to a local hospital and their conditions are unknown.

“This is not a warzone. We want our residents to feel safe,” Smith said.

Smith added that the District’s investigators would continue their investigation and that they are still looking for victims in this case.

“We realize that there may be others who may have been injured tonight. We’re asking you to come forward,” she said.

Department officials could not confirm the reason for the shooting. Officials have closed Good Hope Road SE between 13th and Fendal Streets while an investigation is underway.

A map with the approximate location of the shooting is included below.

A grizzly start to August

Saturday night’s mass shooting in Southeast, D.C. marks a dark, deadly day for the District and a grim start to the month of August.

Before dawn Saturday, police were already responding to another shooting in Northwest D.C. At around 1 a.m., she said, gunfire in Adams Morgan lead to the death of two people and the serious injury of a third victim. None of them have been identified.

“Another act of senseless violence has occurred in this area where two individuals have lost their lives and one has been transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries,” Smith said at a news conference early Saturday.

Three other people were injured during both Saturday shootings, police said.

The five deaths on Saturday, alone, make up nearly half the reported homicides in August. Saturday’s homicides add to the more than 150 homicides already reported by D.C. police.

Since Aug. 1, officers in the District have responded to 11 reported homicides in the city.

On Tuesday, officers identified Diallo Wright, 23, as the victim in a reported shooting that happened at around 1 a.m. in the 3100 block of 16th Street NW.

Just over 24 hours later, police identified Trevon Tillman, 31, as the person killed in a shooting along the 3500 block of Jay Street NE.

Officers said Ebone Lavender, 42, was shot dead in the Unit Block of Forrester Street SW, Thursday at around 2:30 a.m.

Hours later, at about 7:30 p.m., officers were in the 2300 block of Second Street NE for a reported shooting. There, they found a victim — Richard Silver, 40, — suffering from serious gunshot wounds. Police said that DC Fire and EMS officials took the man to the hospital, where he died.

Friday morning, at around 1:30 a.m., the department responded to reports of a shooting in the 1900 block of 13th Street NW. There, officers found Denzel Greenwood, 33, who’d died at the scene.

Hours later, at around 6 p.m., police were called to the 900 block of Division Avenue Northeast for a reported shooting. Vincent Harvey, 31, was found with gunshot wounds and taken to a local hospital by first responders, where he died.

Of the victims killed in District shootings this weekend, all but Tillman, of no fixed address, and Harvey, of Temple Hills, Maryland, were identified as D.C. residents.

WTOP’s Kate Corliss, Terik King and Nardos Mesmer contributed to this report.

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Ivy LyonsIvy Lyons is a digital journalist for WTOP.com. Since 2018, they have worked on Capitol Hill, at NBC News in Washington, and with WJLA in Washington.

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SOURCE: WTOP