WASHINGTON — A man in his thirties was killed in a shooting outside his apartment complex in Southeast, D.C. Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
The shooting happened in the 2600 Block of Douglass Road, Southeast at the Washington View Apartments. Police first tweeted about the shooting just after noon.
First responders arriving at the scene found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. The man was later identified as 37-year-old Joshua Starr of Southeast, D.C.
The police department initially said they were looking for a gunman wearing a school uniform, but later walked that back. Seventh District Commander Lashay Makal told WUSA9 crews that the initial description was just preliminary information and said she did not want to confirm that as the official lookout description.
Police did confirm that Starr lived in the complex, but said it was too early to tell if it was a robbery or a dispute. Makal said there were a lot of witnesses to the shooting, and they hope someone in the communtiy will come forward to help police know if they are looking for one shooter or multiple shooters.
"Everyone is sick and tired of what's happening," Makal said. "And I will repeat what I said earlier -- we reach out to the community for help. I'm really asking the community to show up for this family. This family, they're grieving. They lost a loved one. Please reach out to us and give us any information that can help us bring some closure to yet another act of senseless violence."
Neighbors told WUSA9 they heard young people screaming before and after the shooting.
The nearby KIPP DC Douglass campus was placed on a brief lockdown as a precautionary measure.
"Once again I am saddened to see his family grieving. It has shaken myself and other people dealing with this crisis in terms of gun violence in America," community activist Dyrell Muhammad said. "For it to happen in broad daylight like this it's almost unimaginable to conceive. So we just have to continue to go about and do everything that we can because pontificating about it is just not enough. We have to engage with our young people in terms of their mental health. Because it has to be a mental health issue in terms of young people killing young people."
The deadly shooting occurred in the same area where Rep. Henry Cuellar's (D-TX) car was found after he was carjacked Monday night in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Commander Makal emphasized that she has no information to indicate that these two cases are connected.
Related stories:
- Arming on-campus American University police officers being considered after Morgan State shooting
- 3 hospitalized in shooting outside busy DC restaurant
- Man who shot YouTuber on video at Dulles Town Center found not guilty by jury
- Teenage girl shot near Howard University, police investigate
- Acting DC Police Chief blames 'lax security' on nightclub shooting that left a father of 3 dead
- Video released of people of interest in Morgan State University mass shooting
- Anxious parents pick up Morgan State students, homecoming canceled after mass shooting