WASHINGTON — Police are still working to figure out who shot and killed a man near the 9:30 Club in Northwest D.C. early Sunday morning.
Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the 2100 block of 8th Street Northwest just before 3:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting. When officers got to the scene, they found a man shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide detectives were called to the scene to continue the death investigation.
Police have not released any information about a possible suspect in this case. So far, no arrests have been made. Investigators later identified the man killed as 24-year-old Anwar Wingate of Forestville, Maryland.
According to D.C. Police crime stats, this shooting is the 246th homicide of the year. That's up more than 30% from this time last year. 2023 is on track to be the deadliest year D.C. has seen in almost two decades. In 2003, DC saw 248 homicides.
The startling numbers have local and congressional leaders scrambling to bring violent crime under control. Mayor Muriel Bowser and her administration introduced legislation aimed at addressing violent crime trends such as organized retail thefts and open-air drug markets. Bowser called the proposed legislation, called ACT Now, "just plain common sense."
“At a time when we’re dealing with historically low staffing levels, these amendments seek to make some common-sense changes recognizing the operational concerns our officers see every day, while also supporting police accountability and public safety,” Bowser said. “This legislation also demonstrates what our community is telling us: they want appropriate accountability for those who choose to crimes and inflict fear in our neighborhoods.”
Congress has also been taking a closer look at D.C. crime this year. Congressional leaders overturned criminal code reform and called for more action from District leaders.
Republican members of the House of Representatives criticized a "soft" on crime approach during a hearing on D.C. violence last month.
"The crime we are seeing just a few blocks from this building is unprecedented," said Rep. Andy Briggs (R-Arizona) who chairs the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance.
Briggs placed the blame on the U.S. Attorney for D.C.’s prosecutorial failures.
"The man who is in charge of prosecuting the criminals has abandoned his responsibilities, that's Matthew Graves," Briggs added.
Graves is under fire for prosecution rates that dropped to 33% in fiscal year 2022.
“I don’t focus on the criticism,” Graves said. “I’m more worried about what is happening on our streets.”
Graves' prosecution numbers are now on the rise hitting a 53% prosecution rate in the fourth quarter of this year. Additionally, 5.3% of cases were transferred for prosecution with a different agency, bringing the overall number to 58% for the fourth quarter of this year.
D.C. residents told WUSA9 that while the numbers are startling, they don't necessarily feel unsafe in the District.
"There are days that don’t feel safe and it also depends on the area, especially during the night," Melanie Adrian explained. "I do feel much safer when walking with friends or with a group of people, but if it’s past 11 or 11:30, then I prefer not walking by myself down the street."