WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a deadly shooting that claimed the life of a violence interrupter in Southeast D.C.
Police said it happened Friday afternoon in the 3200 block of Dubois Place, SE.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said it happened as the man was leaving a violence interrupter training session.
“Yesterday was a training session for a new group of interrupters as well as community folks and at that training, or after the training, one of the trainees was shot and was killed," Racine said.
The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Clarence Venable of Southeast, DC.
Upon arrival, police said officers located an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds. DC Fire & EMS officials transported the victim to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Racine said it's a dangerous job, but it's absolutely necessary.
"Obviously incredibly tragic, our hearts go out to his family and obviously the team is also quite devastated," Racine said. "Nonetheless we clearly have unanimity around the commitment to do even more in terms of violence interruption. We’ve got to find a way to reduce the violence in the District of Columbia and we believe violence interruptions part of the solution."
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White shared to Facebook that Venable was the funniest man he knows who was a victim on the front line of what he spent his last days trying to prevent.
Officials said there is no lookout at this time regarding the suspect.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099.
This is a developing story.