WASHINGTON — Video given to WUSA9 by a neighbor shows the moments before, during and after a shootout outside Dunbar High School that left a student injured Friday morning.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Kirby Street Northwest and Morgan Street Northwest just before 10 a.m. Officers who responded to the shooting said a 17-year-old girl sitting in class was grazed by a stray bullet that went through the window of the school. The teen is expected to be OK, but nothing further has been released about her condition or injuries.
In the video, you see a handful of people -- who appear to be teenagers, some wearing backpacks -- walking on a sidewalk outside the school when a dark blue car is shown driving the wrong way down Kirby Street. Then, you hear multiple gunshots, before the people on the sidewalk start ducking and running away. The car briefly stops outside the school before driving away. At least one of the people on the sidewalk is seen firing a gun in the direction of the car, before running across the street and out of the video frame.
"The motive remains unknown," Assistant Chief Leslie Parsons said while speaking to reporters outside the school.
DC Police Chief Pamela Smith said all other Dunbar students were safe, and emphasized that there was at no point an active threat inside the school.
Neighbors who live near where the shootout happened were startled by what they say was the unmistakable sound of gunfire.
“I didn’t see anything, but you could hear something I’ve never heard before," said Ray Valentine, who has lived in the neighborhood since the 1970s. “It was like brap, brap, brap!”
“It was quick. It probably took less than 10 seconds overall," said neighbor Paul Kim.
One man we spoke to, who didn't want to be identified, said he saw the shootout from his window.
“They were coming from the alley to come to Dunbar and this guy just started shooting at these kids," he said. "We’ve had gunshots in this neighborhood before, but never this close. It is very scary, and we have a 2-year-old too. Luckily, he was at daycare."
Dozens of shell casings were spotted on the street right next to a playground.
"And on a day like today, which is beautiful weather, they’d be all over that place around this time," said Valentine. "The place would be full of kids.”
A disappointing morning for some who have lived here for years.
“It’s really upsetting. There’s been a lot of gun violence around Dunbar. It occurs more than it should and it’s really upsetting that it hasn’t stopped," said Kerry Burgott who lives nearby. "Then someone gets shot through their classroom window, that’s pretty messed up.”
Late Friday night, police announced the arrest of two suspects in connection to the shooting. Metropolitan Police say 18-year-old Zaharia Graves and a 17-year-old boy have been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a pistol without a license and endangerment with a firearm.
Police say the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone who may have information that would help investigators is asked to call DC Police at 202-727-9099 or text the department's tip line at 50411.
Dunbar High School Principal Nadine Smith shared a letter to parents and families Friday evening:
Dear Dunbar High School Parents and Families,
At Dunbar, we are committed to the safety of our students. Communicating home about incidents that impact our school is critical to maintaining strong partnerships with families. I am writing to follow up on the messages I have sent to parents and caregivers throughout the day summarizing today's events and share how we are supporting our community.
Around 9:30 a.m., administration was alerted to gunshots fired near our campus. We conducted a reverse evacuation bringing all Dunbar students who were outside our building into our auditorium as we went into a lockdown status. During a lockdown, students are ushered away from exterior windows, while movement between classes and entering or exiting the building is restricted.
I can confirm that our building was struck, and one of the bullets that passed through the window of a classroom grazed one of our students. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) were called and arrived quickly to evaluate students and transport three of them for additional medical attention. Our thoughts are with our scholars as they recover.
Around noon, we downgraded to an alert status to allow for instruction and student movement throughout the building to resume. All afterschool activities will take place indoors this afternoon. Several families picked up their students early from our O Street entrance, and DC Public Schools (DCPS) Police and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) have remained onsite to support dismissal and afterschool activities.
I want to acknowledge that coping with the effects of community violence is a challenging experience. Today, we received support from the DCPS Crisis Response Team—a team of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, staff, and families during difficult times. Throughout next week, they will join Dunbar's dedicated wellness team comprising our five school counselors, two social workers, Ms. Caldwell and Ms. McMillian, and our school psychologist, Ms. Scott, to support any student who needs a safe space to react, ask questions, or share their feelings.
In addition, if you or your loved ones need immediate support, please call 9-8-8 to connect with a trained crisis specialist 24 hours a day at no cost to you.
The safety and well-being of our students are paramount. If you have any questions, please call the main office at (202) 698-3762 or email me at Nadine.Smith@k12.dc.gov. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Nadine Smith
Principal, Dunbar High School
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