Two teenage suspects are in police custody after a shooting outside of a D.C. high school Friday morning that sent a hail of bullets into the building, police say.
Gunfire erupted across the street from Dunbar High School in Northwest D.C., shortly before 10 a.m. Friday, D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith said during a news conference.
That sent several rounds through a glass window and into a classroom, where a 17-year-old girl suffered a “graze” wound, Assistant Chief of the D.C. Police Investigative Services Bureau Leslie Parsons said.
The student was taken to the hospital with what were described as minor injuries.
“She is totally fine and expected to make a full recovery,” Parsons said.
Zaharia Graves, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, both of Northeast D.C., were arrested following police investigation. The two teens are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and other gun related charges.
Dramatic video captures barrage of bullets
Doorbell camera footage from a neighbor, shared with WTOP, shows the moment the bullets started flying.
The video shows people walking and riding bikes down a residential street before a car pulls up and a barrage of gunfire breaks sending passersby running for cover. A few moments later, after the car has driven out of the view of the camera, more gunshots are heard.
The shooting occurred in the 1200 block of Kirby Street at about 9:55 a.m. and involved a vehicle driving up the block going the wrong way, Parsons said. About halfway down the block, there was a series of gunshots, followed soon after by another volley of rounds, Parsons said.
He said police believe two groups of people were shooting at each other. The motive is not yet known.
The police chief said the shooting was not directed at the high school, and that all other students are safe.
The shooting prompted a brief lockdown at the school.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared with police officials at the news conference but did not give a statement.
A neighbor who lives on Kirby Street told WTOP he was out for a walk with his young child and away from the scene when the shooting happened.
He said he watched footage of the shooting from his neighbor’s doorbell camera and is very concerned raising a young child in the neighborhood given the violence.
“We are petrified, honestly,” he said. “When it’s right in front of your house, it really cuts to the core of what it feels to be safe in your house. And with that amount of lead flying through the air. I don’t think anyone on this block will feel safe inside their houses ever again.”
Anyone with information regarding the shooting are asked to contact D.C. Police at (202) 727-9099 or by texting a tip to the department’s tip line at 50411.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman and Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
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