WASHINGTON — Friends say the young man who lost his life in a downtown Anacostia barber shop was trying to turn his life around.
He was involved in the Violence Interrupters program, designed to help keep young people away from this type of violence.
His mentor was on the scene and broke down in tears.
“Why are people so ruthless? Why did they take him," he asked.
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According to DC police, four men walked into New Creation Hair Salon Plus on MLK Avenue, SE around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon. The shop was crowded, and police say someone shot the man in his 20’s.
Surveillance video then shows the four men running out of the shop. Police later collected evidence, checked for fingerprints and recovered a shot up car from the scene.
The victim’s grandfather was on his way to work when he got the call. The boy he helped raise until he was 13 was dead.
“He was a good kid,” said George Plight, “just got mixed up with the wrong people.”
ANC Commissioner Regina Pixley ran into the victim’s mother on the scene; yet another woman who will bury a child far too early. S
he said it’s up to the community to help heal these streets and save our families.
“When black mothers come together, and 100 percent be truthful about what happens in this neighborhood,” said Commissioner Pixley, “when we unite and say no more, enough is enough.”