A teen girl has life-threatening injuries and two other people were wounded after a shooting Friday afternoon in District Heights sent a barrage of bullets into a nearby residence.
The shooting happened about 1:50 p.m. on Atwood Street near the intersection with Rochelle Street.
District Heights Police Chief Ron Tarpley said the girl, who was inside the residence, has injuries that are believed to be life-threatening. Another woman, who was also inside, was wounded. Tarpley said it appears the bullets went through a window.
A man who was outside the building was also wounded in the shooting, police said.
The Prince George’s County Police Department will be leading the investigation into the shooting, Tarpley said.
Speaking during a news conference Friday, authorities provided few specifics about the shooting.
Tarpley said police are still working to determine a motive for the shooting, whether the three people who were shot were the intended targets, whether multiple guns were used or whether the shooting was the result of a drive-by.
“I know the residents of the area are concerned about this crime, and rightfully so,” Tarpley said. “We will not stop until we identify the suspect or suspects involved in this incident.”
Officials express anger at ‘senseless’ shooting
Speaking at the news conference, District Heights Mayor Cynthia Miller expressed her condolences to the victim’s families and said keeping citizens safe is her No. 1 priority.
She called the shooting “shocking.”
“We’ve had some shootings, but not on a regular basis … We try to keep our residents positive and safe,” Miller said.
Barry Stanton, deputy chief administrative officer for public safety for Prince George’s County, speaking on behalf of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, said of the shooting, “This was truly a senseless act and a cowardly act.”
He added, “You know, there were times when incidents like this would, would stop everyone in their tracks. But the terrifying truth is that incidents like these are starting to happen too often. And we have a responsibility to do what we can to stop it.”
District Heights Vice Mayor Xander Harcourt expressed anger.
“I am very angry because we have worked very hard to turn the corner on these types of acts in our community … That was a 14-year-old girl. And she didn’t deserve this. In a blink of an eye, her life has been transformed forever.”
Below is the area where it happened.
WTOP’s Veronica Canales contributed to this report.
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