WASHINGTON — The surveillance video of this weekend’s Deanwood Metro station shooting has been turned over to D.C. Police.
Davonte Washington, 15, was shot and killed after an argument on the train’s platform escalated late Saturday afternoon.
Washington’s family tells NBC4 his mother and sisters were there when the shooting happened and were on their way to get a haircut for Easter. Washington was a freshman at Largo High School and a member of the Air Force Junior ROTC.
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel says the CCTV footage of the incident was given to the D.C. police department, who is handling the investigation.
“The investment that the region has made in closed circuit camera systems will definitely help the investigation,” Stessel said. “No arrests have been made and police have not released a description of the shooter. Officers were not at the station at the time of the shooting and Washington’s family says there should have been a larger police presence.”
“You’ve got 91 stations, 186 entrances and exits, multiple platforms, over 900 trains in service, 1,500 buses in service,” says Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik, who notes that their 472 officers can’t be at every location, so the department uses data to measure crime trends.
Stessel says they’ve increased security in the wake of the Brussels attack.
“The crime rate on Metro is lower than many of the communities we serve, that’s just a fact,” Stessel says. “The crime that occurred at Deanwood was horrific and tragic for the community. There’s nothing specific to metro about it. It could have occurred across the street at the recreation center or on the sidewalk.”
D.C. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander of Ward 7 said she is angry and frustrated over this tragedy and over the lack of outrage in the community.
“I’m concerned with the culture in our community,” Alexander said. “This is not a normal occurrence. We have to start looking at this like we are mad. We have to start taking our communities back.”
Police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
