The white Jeep Cherokee believed to be the same one used in a shooting in D.C. Thursday morning was found burned in Suitland, Maryland, according to officials.
D.C. police said they could not confirm this was the same car used in the shooting but they do believe it may be, officials told WTOP Thursday night.
A man and a woman were killed and two others were hurt in a drive-by shooting near Nationals Park in Southwest D.C. Thursday, and police are searching for a vehicle believed to be involved.
Just after 11:45 a.m., shots were fired out of a vehicle and struck four people who were standing outside a corner store near the 1300 block of Half Street — around two blocks from Nationals Park — D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
MPD is searching for this suspect vehicle in the 1300 block of Half St SW shooting.
It is described as a white 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Maryland plate 2FD0820 with a sunroof, white rims, and tinted windows.
The driver appears to be wearing gloves. pic.twitter.com/FdPHtCEBla
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) December 21, 2023
Police are looking for a white Jeep Cherokee with a sunroof, white rims and tinted windows. It has a Maryland license plate that reads: 2FD0820, police told WTOP. The driver appeared to be wearing white gloves.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and three men were taken to a hospital. One of the men later died from his injuries. Police said the two other men are in critical condition.
Smith said the vehicle police are looking for was involved in an armed carjacking in the 4th District on Wednesday night. It isn’t clear how many people were inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting and police haven’t publicly identified any suspects.
“We certainly recognize that there have been a lot of beefs that have gone on with many crews here in the District of Columbia,” Smith said, when asked about the neighborhood. “What I will say is that over the past 30 days, we have not seen any violent crime in this area.”
Police are asking those with information regarding this shooting to call them at 202-727-9099.
Here’s a map of where the shooting happened.
Neighbor shook out of bed by gunshots
Stephanie Rogers and her son Devereaux were awakened by the sound of gunshots Thursday morning, but she said it’s pretty common for the area.
“We’ve heard gunshots before in the area, just random gunshots. It’s like a common thing every now and then. But this was different. It was like a combat zone,” she told WTOP.
She mimicked the sound of the gunshots, saying it sounded like a machine gun or an AR-15.
As she looked out the window to see where the shooter may have been coming from, she said her son had heard a man shout.
“[The man was] like, ‘I’ve been shot,’ like that. And he grunted so loud that he (her son) heard him upstairs after I came back. He had heard it. And so I immediately retreated, turned around and went back in the house,” she said.
Rogers said she hopes the man is alive and safe in a hospital. She added that she doesn’t feel unsafe in the area although she sometimes has to decipher if loud sounds are gunshots or fireworks.
“Maybe other people feel unsafe, but I don’t. I try to feel safe wherever I go. And I’m aware of my surroundings. I’m not going to walk right into danger,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that someone shouldn’t move over here just because of that. Because you could be anywhere these days. I mean, seriously, it could be in a restaurant. You just never know.”
Editor’s note: A prior version of this story indicated that the vehicle’s plate number was 2DF0820 based on Smith’s comments at a news conference. WTOP later confirmed an updated plate number with a police spokesperson.
WTOP’s Sandra Jones and Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
