WASHINGTON — A teenager was shot Thursday in Shaw and taken to a local hospital to recover.
Around 12:26 p.m. DC Police said they were called to the 1700 block of 7th Street Northwest for a report of gunshots. On scene, they found a boy who they estimate to be in his late teens who had been shot in his arm, according to a police spokeswoman.
Police said the teenager was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Currently, the only lookout police have available for this shooting is two black men in their twenties, who police said are armed with guns. Police have not commented on a motive for the shooting.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.
This is a developing story that WUSA9 will update when more information becomes available.
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White is calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser to declare a "state of emergency" due to an abundance of gun violence seen in the District from 2020 to 2021.
“We have to declare an emergency when it comes to the crime and violence,” Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White said. “We are burying our children. Something has to be done about the record number of shootings and homicides in the District.”
So far in 2021, at least three teens have been killed in the District, according to DC Police. On Jan. 21, 15-year-old Dayvon Lewis was shot and killed on the 1300 block of Congress Street in SE. Five days later, another 15-year-old was gunned down in Southeast, D.C. Jamarid Robinson was shot and killed on the 2600 block of 12th Place SE. Earlier in the month, 17-year-old Omari Dunn was shot and killed on Florida Avenue Northeast on Jan. 10.
As of Feb. 4, there have been 17 homicides in D.C., which is actually the exact same as this time last year; there were 198 homicides total in 2020, which was a 19% increase from 2019.
Gun violence activist Clayton Rosenberg believes the increase in shootings is only being amplified by the coronavirus pandemic.
“There's so much idle time right now, and people are hurt," Rosenberg said. "And hurt people hurt people."
For her part, Mayor Bowser announced the appointment of Linda Harllee Harper to the position of director of gun violence prevention – the city's first-ever position focused on the issue.
