Two teenagers were shot outside of a charter school in Northeast, and another in a building just a couple miles away in Southeast D.C. Wednesday morning. Police believe the incidents are unrelated.
Just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, the D.C. police got a call about a double shooting outside the IDEA Public Charter School, at 1027 45th St. NE.
Officers found two male students suffering from gunshot wounds — one in the stomach and the other in his arm. The two students were taken to the hospital, where they are being treated for their injuries.
Police said they have arrested a 15-year-old suspect, who was also a student at the IDEA school.
Police Chief Robert J. Contee told WTOP’s news partners NBC Washington that shortly before the shooting, one of the students arrived at the school without wearing the required uniform. After declining to be outfitted by school staff, the student chose to leave the building.
About 15 minutes later, two other male students entered the school and attempted to bypass the security officer who was operating a weapons detector. After refusing to be wanded for weapons, those two students also left the building, according to Contee.
Witnesses told police that, a short time later, an altercation among these three students resulted in one of them brandishing a firearm, then shooting the other two, Contee said.
The school was promptly locked down as police and EMS teams arrived on the scene.
A message on the school’s website said, “Everyone in the building is safe. We will have a staggered dismissal when we have a clearance from Metropolitan Police Department.”
Contee commended quick thinking of security officers at the school: “They made sure that no further injury or harm came to other students who were safely inside of the school, or the individuals who were attempting to get in school.”
The chief said the case closed with the arrest of one student, adding, “It’s very tragic, that we’re seeing firearms in the hands of young people who should not have them. And as a result of that, we have two young people suffering from gunshot wounds.”
Earlier Wednesday morning, a juvenile was shot in a residential area a couple of miles away in the 4700 block of Alabama Ave. SE, a couple of blocks from Bard High School.
According to Contee, several juveniles had entered a building, and an altercation ensued, before someone who was already inside the building fired a gun, striking one of the minors in the chest.
Contee said the victim is in stable condition, but undergoing emergency surgery at the hospital.
Police say they are working with residents in the area to identify and locate the suspect.
WTOP’s Colleen Kelleher contributed to this story.
