Six men have been shot and one is dead following a shooting in Northeast D.C. on Monday night, according to D.C. police.
The other victims have been taken to the hospital for treatment. Officers found Lance Melvin, 24, of Southeast D.C., dead at the scene.
D.C. police Chief Robert Contee said during a news briefing Monday night that there is not a lookout at this time, and police are asking anyone with more information about the shooting to call them at 202-727-9099.
The circumstances of the shooting, including whether the victims knew each other, are being investigated, Contee said.
D.C. police described what happened on the Azeeze Bates property on the 1500 block of F Street as a “critical incident alert.”
Critical Incident Alert: MPD has responded to the 1500 block of F Street NE for a shooting. Preliminary reports of multiple victims. Updates to be provided from the on-scene PIO. Media briefing area will be shared shortly.
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) August 2, 2022
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division were on the scene to help police.
Below is the area where it happened.
Laura Gentile, the ANC commissioner for ANC6A05, told constituents via Facebook that the shooting happened in the alley behind the Highway Christian Church, at 15th and F streets. She asked residents with any security cameras to check their footage from between 8:25 and 8:35 p.m. and send anything suspicious to police Cmdr. Ralph McLean at ralph.mclean@dc.gov and refer to report number 22-110-251.
Gentile said D.C. police told her the Azeeze Bates complex is legally required to have security guards on site, but that no guards were observed.
The shooting is the latest in a string of incidents in the District over the last several days.
Contee said that he’s “angered” and “saddened” that D.C. residents had to experience the shooting in their community.
“The residents didn’t deserve this. They do not deserve to have people shot in the communities where they live,” Contee said, adding that despite recent efforts to “stem the tide of violence,” there are people who have “just lost their sense of humanity.”
On Saturday during a news conference after a drive-by shooting in which two people were hurt and one person was shot and killed by police, D.C. police Executive Assistant Chief Ashan Benedict described the last few days as “rough.”
There’s been an increase in violent crime in D.C., with homicides up 12% compared to the same time period last year.
