WASHINGTON — DC Police are now investigating an overnight shooting near a busy intersection in Shaw as a homicide after the victim was pronounced dead Saturday morning.
Officers were dispatched to the intersection of 9th and U Streets just before 4 a.m. for a report of a critical shooting. The intersection is part of U Street’s busy nightlife scene and often draws large crowds through the evening and into the early morning hours.
According to police, an adult male was found suffering from gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene. The victim's identity was not immediately released.
Police put out a lookout for a white male with curly hair wearing a black hoodie, pants and boots who was last seen traveling eastbound on Florida Avenue NW. No further information was provided.
The city’s latest homicide comes as D.C. leaders are grappling with the highest homicide rate in decades. Including the latest incident, the city has seen at least 225 homicides so far this year – more than all of 2022 and nearly matching the year-end total for 2021.
DC Police were also investigating an unrelated robbery that occurred approximately three hours earlier and just blocks away near the Shaw-Howard Metro. According to the department, police were seeking a Black male wearing red, black and gray Balenciaga shoes and a black ski mask and carrying a handgun with a blue beam. Two other suspects also armed with pistols were also being sought in connection with the robbery.
Individuals with information about either incident can contact DC Police through the department’s anonymous tip line at 202-727-9099 or by texting 50411. Both lines are monitored 24 hours a day.