WASHINGTON — Two people were shot and injured in Northwest D.C. early Thursday, sparking an investigation into what exactly happened.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded to 14th Street Northwest, nearby Monroe Street Northwest, in the area of The Dance Institute of Washington in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, according to their 2:52 a.m. social post. Upon arrival, they found two males who were injured in a shooting. Police say they are unsure if the two victims are adults or juveniles.
Both of the victims were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries, one of which was conscious and breathing, while the other was unconscious and breathing. There have been no further updates on their conditions.
No additional details were released about the victims, this includes their ages, names, and where they might be from. In addition, no information was released about a person of interest or motive in the case. The shooting remains under investigation.
Neighbor Rico Stringfellow witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. He said he woke up to the sound of commotion Thursday morning, looked outside his window and noticed people hovering over a body.
"All I heard over and over is 'he’s shot in the head, hold on, We are getting help now,'" Stringfellow said. “You can see the body twitching, the hand going up and down. There was no verbal response coming from the victim."
Stringfellow said it's not the first incident of violence near him, as he witnessed another shooting in the neighborhood the week before.
“Honestly, I am looking to move.," he admitted. "I have a lot of people I care about that come visit me and this seems random, so, I can’t have that.”
The shooting is being investigated as an assault with intent to kill.
According to DC Police, violent crime is up 41% since last year. As of Wednesday, there were 4,542 recorded cases of violent crime across the District, compared to 3,227 cases that were recorded within the same period of time in 2022.
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.