WASHINGTON — Police are investigating after two men were killed and three others were injured in a shooting in Northeast D.C. Wednesday night.
According to a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting happened near 14th Street and Saratoga Avenue shortly before 10 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found three men had been shot. Two of the victims were not conscious or breathing when help got there and a third was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In a press conference Wednesday night MPD Acting Chief Pamala Smith confirmed two of the men were killed in the shooting and two men who walked into a hospital were injured in the same shooting. One of those men is in critical condition, while the other is expected to survive.
Police continue to search for the shooter, keeping a lookout for three men in a grey vehicle.
Police have not released any information regarding a possible motive or what may have happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.
One neighbor we spoke to in the neighborhood said gun violence has affected everyone who lives there.
"I want to say last year, three bullets came through the window. Bullets are flying. Something has to be done, something has to change. You can't keep making promises and saying we are going to do better and you're going to try, and people are losing their lives," she said.
We took that neighbor's frustrations to the acting police chief and asked if she has enough police on the streets.
"I can't determine that if we had more officers if this would or wouldn't occur. But what I can say is that we have officers in areas, based on evidence and data, that there is high crime. We will continue to do that," Smith said.
Harry Thomas Jr, a former city councilmember and current ANC, believes neighbors are just starting to accept this level of violence as the norm, which he said is unacceptable.
“They’re tired, they’re scared, they’re concerned, they’re angry," Thomas said. "We had people coming on scene trying to figure out if their loved ones were hurt."
A community meeting was scheduled Thursday evening, less than 24 hours after the shooting. Organizers plan to bring together city leaders, police and violence interrupters to try and find a solution/.
Anyone with information may contact detectives at (202) 727-9099 or by texting the department's tip line at 50411.
DC surpassed 200 homicides in 2023 earlier this week, according to crime stats that is an increase of 35% compared to this time last year.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story reported four men were shot and was updated after police learned that a fifth victim walked into an area hospital looking for help.
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Two people are dead in separate shootings in Washington DC on Tuesday. DC has crossed 200 homicides in 2023.