WASHINGTON — One man has been arrested and police continue to search for several suspects following a shooting that left two children injured as they were getting off a Metrobus Wednesday afternoon.
The shooting was reported in the area of 14th Street and Fort Stevens Drive just before 4:15 p.m.
In a press conference Wednesday night, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said several people got onto the Metrobus and began to assault another person onboard. The fight later moved off the bus and onto the sidewalk and street, where one person involved in the fight took out a gun and opened fire.
Contee said two children, ages 6 and 9, were shot. The young boy and girl were getting off the bus when they were shot. A third victim, only identified as a man, was found at a nearby apartment, according to Contee.
All three were taken to area hospitals for help with serious injuries and are expected to survive.
"People were trying to get on the bus because it's a bus stop," Brightwood ANC Kim Patterson said. "But there were shots. So they ran onto the bus for safety."
The man who was injured in the shooting is accused of being part of the original altercation while armed with a knife. He has been identified as 32-year-old Stephen Perdomo, who was arrested and charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Knife).
Police say the shooter ran away following the shooting and has not been apprehended.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shared video of the suspects wanted in connection to the shooting. These images were captured by a surveillance camera and shared with the public in hopes that someone will recognize them and contact detectives.
Additionally, WUSA9 has obtained video from on the bus of the fight that led up to the shooting.
>Content warning: The video below contains violent imagery that some viewers may find disturbing.
The principals of the schools the children attended, John Lewis Elementary for the 6-year-old and Tubman Elementary School for the 9-year-old, both sent letters to their communities addressing the violent act.
"Coping with the effects of community violence is a difficult experience, and we want to support our students and families through this time," Principal Amanda Delabar wrote in a letter to the Tubman Elementary community. "Please reach out if your student needs assistance dealing with this news, and we will connect them with our school-based mental health team. We care, and we are here to help."
Several parents outside the school Thursday afternoon expressed their own fear and even outrage.
"It’s an elementary school!” said parent Louvenia Adams, holding her children's hands.
Another mom said she moved to D.C. thinking it was safe but is considering leaving the city altogether.
"I don't let her go outside anymore to play, at the playground," the woman who asked to remain anonymous said. "I'm freaked out.
Another student at John Lewis Elementary was also a victim of gun violence a few days earlier a couple of blocks away. An 8-year-old was shot in the calf in an attack that left one man dead, and two other people injured.
"Thank God my grandson is well and he's recuperating," the boy's grandmother said in a phone interview.
Now, the grandmother is demanding the police and Mayor Muriel Bowser do more to keep D.C.'s kids safe.
"The suspects in both these shootings are still at large," she said. "We're petrified."
Anyone with information can call investigators at (202) 727-9099 or text the department's tip line anonymously at 50411.