Violent Weekend in Washington, D.C.
Authorities reported that 12 individuals were shot across Washington, D.C. in a span of just nine hours, highlighting one of the most violent weekends of the year for the city.
The violence began Friday around 5:30 p.m. when a teenage girl was fatally shot on Southeast Yuma Street. Merely 15 minutes later, a teenage boy was injured by gunfire on 50th Street.
Two hours after that incident, a man lost his life due to a shooting on 16th Street in the northwest area of the city.
Injuries and Deaths
Later that evening, at approximately 8:18 p.m., a 5-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet on Savannah Terrace in Southeast. The shooting incidents escalated as Howard University hosted a homecoming event; three men, a woman, and a teenage boy were shot just off-campus. It’s worth noting that none of the victims were students at Howard, though one was reportedly attending Morgan State University in Maryland.
Law enforcement has arrested two 19-year-old suspects and confiscated three firearms linked to the campus shooting, but officers believe there were likely more individuals involved.
The night was not over. Two men were shot and killed on Benning Road in the northeast part of the city as the violence spiral continued.
Context of Ongoing Violence
This increase in violence occurs amid discussions about crime levels in the city, with some Democratic leaders arguing that crime is at a 30-year low, a claim that many seem to dispute.
Add to that, a man was seriously injured in a shooting at the Hyatt Place on the Northwest Side early Saturday morning, further adding to the grim toll of that weekend.
As the situation unfolds, President Trump has been deploying the National Guard throughout D.C. in an effort to address the surge in violent crime affecting residents.
Police are continuing investigations into each shooting, making it one of the busiest weekends for law enforcement in terms of crime this year. The Metropolitan Police Department has yet to provide any comment on the matter.
