WASHINGTON — Three teens and a man have been shot in two separate shootings in Northwest D.C. Monday morning, about 20 minutes apart, sparking an investigation after a violent weekend across the District.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded to Otis Place Northwest, nearby Parkview Recreation Center, around 11:18 a.m. after a report of a shooting. At the scene, they found a teenage boy suffering from a gunshot wound. He was conscious when he was taken to the hospital for treatment.
His mentor, Earl Davis, said he's a high school student and is expected to recover from his injuries.
DC Police later said they found another juvenile male suffering from a gunshot wound at a local hospital.
Police released a photo of the car officers claim was used in the shooting, hoping someone will be able to help identify the suspects.
This shooting is the latest of three shootings that happened nearby a recreation center in the District within the last two weeks.
Less than 30 minutes later, at 11:40 a.m., officers reported to Shotspotter Technology, on Columbia Road Northwest, just around a mile away from the first shooting to investigate another one. At the scene, a 15-year-old boy was found suffering from a gunshot wound. The police department says he was conscious and breathing when he was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A short time later, a second victim in the Columbia Road shooting, an adult man, was found. Relatives said he was a handyman driving his vehicle. An initial investigation by the police department leads them to believe that the 15-year-old and man were both shot in the same area. The man was also conscious and breathing during transport.
Police say they are looking for a Black Ford Fusion with Delaware Tags traveling southbound on 14th Street Northwest for the second Monday shooting.
Monday's shootings come just a day after several shootings across the District, including three separate shootings in Southeast D.C. that left three teens suffering from gunshot wounds.
Police released suspect photos in the shooting that injured a teen on Birney Place SE on Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or the department's tip line at 50411.
Three men were also shot and injured in Northwest D.C. on Sunday.
After another violent weekend in the District, there are questions if what the city is doing to curb gun violence is working.
Unless the city deals with the root causes such as trauma and poverty, Peace for DC executive director Lashonia Thompson-El said the cycle will only continue.
"You can't just do things on the surface or for show," Thompson-El told WUSA9. "You have to really do the deeper and more meaningful work and that is the part I think we're missing."
Her group's Peace Academy was recently recognized by Mayor Muriel Bowser during its first graduation ceremony. The academy helps bridge violence interrupters throughout the city by conducting more training.
While there are programs in the city, she feels not enough is being invested.
"We're asking them to do a big job," she added. "This is some very serious trauma they're trying to heal and they need the resources and tools to do that. They need more than the title and salary."
It's been years since the city implemented violence interruption strategies. A D.C. auditor report in June reported while there's been success in a job training and employment program and violent intervention services in hospitals, there is not enough evidence on what kind of impact violence interrupters have on high-crime communities.
"I think we have limited information right now to be perfectly candid," Bowser said last month following the Peace Academy graduation. "I hesitate to say it's 100% right or there are strategies we have to correct and improve on, but I know is they're engaging people known to use guns.
"It's time to evaluate these programs and let's see if they're working or not instead of assuming," Thompson-El added.
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