Three people have died, and at least four others have been hospitalized Saturday, 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,” Smith said. “It is incredibly frustrating. We know that someone in the community knows what’s happening.”
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 at least seven victims.
Two men and a woman died at the scene of the shooting. Four others were taken to a local hospital and their conditions are unknown.
“This is not a warzone,” Smith said. “We want our residents to feel safe.”
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,” she said. “We’re asking you to come forward.”
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 grisly start to August
Saturday night’s mass shooting in Southeast marks a grim start to the month of August for the District.
Since Aug. 1, officers in the District have responded to 11 reported homicides in the city.
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 led 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.
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 D.C. 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 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.
WTOP’s Kate Corliss, Terik King and Nardos Mesmer contributed to this report.
