WASHINGTON D.C., DC — The Shaw community is demanding answers and change.
Dozens attended an Advisory Neighborhood Commissions meeting at the Shaw library, days after a mass shooting occurred just blocks away at the intersection of 7th and P Streets in Northwest.
The shooting happened at 3:01 a.m. on Sunday.
"Members of the Metropolitan Police Department were patrolling the Shaw neighborhood when one of our officers detected the sound of gunshots coming from the area of 7th and P St. Northwest. The officer was probably a block and a half away at most and came over the police radio and advised other members to respond because she heard rapid gunfire,” explained MPD Third District Commander James Boteler.
He says responding officers came upon several victims who were suffering from gunshot wounds.
"Our officers jumped right into action, and started using their own medical kits and tourniquets to provide immediate first aid to our victims, and what we learned very quickly is that we had a total of seven victims and all that were shot by gunfire. One of those victims self-responded to a local hospital, which left six on the scene. Of those six that were on the scene two of them succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased," said Boteler.
For a little more than an hour, Boteler answered questions from community members in attendance at the ANC meeting.
"I have received emails and texts and phone calls," said ANC Commissioner Sranda Watkins.
"It has prompted everyone to take a look now," said Watkins.
"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of going to meetings and everybody standing up and talking ain't it awful. We gotta move beyond 'ain't it awful' and come up with some solutions," said one resident.
Tuesday afternoon, MPD released a photo of a black Infiniti.
"We do believe this vehicle was at the intersection, probably waiting for these folks to get to this location. As Chief Smith said," said Boteler.
He added that officers do not believe this was a random act of violence.
"We do believe our offenders knew what they were doing," said Boteler.
Many attendees wanted to know more about how Play DC Lounge was involved.
"What we’ve learned over the course of the last 72 hours is that the victims had been at a nearby establishment. They had left around closing around 3 o’clock in the morning and began walking southbound on 7th Street from Q towards P St. Upon coming to the intersection of 7th and P St., a suspect, or suspects, began firing a weapon at one of the victims or the victims as a group. As a result, the seven victims were shot," explained Commander Boteler.
He told the community members that his detectives have been reviewing surveillance footage from various cameras in the area.
"We believe at this time that several, if not most of the victims, were inside Play DC. They had left and were presumably walking back to their cars and their homes when this happened," he explained.
WUSA9 has heard from several frustrated neighbors who say Play DC Lounge is a problem.
"I think it’s time to shut down Play DC," said Carlos Reyes.
Reyes says he and other neighbors have made several complaints about noise and violent incidents that he says stem from the club. The ANC and Play DC Lounge came to a legal settlement on Jan. 24.
As part of the settlement, Play DC had to agree to a number of stipulations that restrict decibel levels of music and state the club must request two DC Police officers to patrol the 600 block of Q Street NW and the 1500 block of Marion Street NW for one hour after the lounge closes, which is at 3 a.m. on Saturdays.
These requested officers are called Reimbursable Detail Officers or RDOs. Boteler says Play DC has been requesting them but on Sunday none were there.
When asked if there was some sort of disconnect between the RDO program and requesting it and the DC Police Department's ability to fulfill those requests, Boteler said, "So the reimbursable detail program is funded by the District of Columbia to assist businesses that are alcohol establishments the key to that is off duty police employment - we have a shortage of metropolitan police officers as does every law enforcement agency across the country."
Boteler says neighborhood groups shouldn't be relying on this program as the only solution.
"When ANC groups or civic association groups come into agreements about conditions for businesses," he said. "Very often the Reimbursement program is one of the boxes they check to say okay that's the way we make businesses come into compliance that really shouldn't be the catalyst."
That aside, Boteler says MPD will increase police presence in the area.
"Just because we don't have volunteer officers that work that area doesn't mean we abandon the neighborhood and say there's nothing we can do which is why I mentioned tonight that we will now have to expand our footprint down to this area because of what happened."
Just before Tuesday night's meeting, the Third District Commander says he and clergy members, along with others in the community, walked around the neighborhood talking to people and passing out flyers with a photo of the car.
"We will work around the clock until we find out who did this," said Boteler
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