Prince George’s County detectives were struggling to convince witnesses to come forward following a triple murder outside of an Adelphi apartment complex early Saturday morning.
Police officials have been careful not to label the incident as gang-related, but several police officials said the initial investigation is “pointing in that direction.”
Several witnesses at the scene say five to six gunmen approached the bottom stairwell of a three-story brick building at 1901 Erie St. and opened fire, striking and killing three men and injuring another, police said.
Some witnesses said the shooters shouted out the name of the gang Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, a gang founded by Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles which has grown in prominence in the Washington area in recent years.
Just rumors that the gang is involved in the shooting appears to be scaring potential eyewitnesses away from talking, said police spokesman Clinton Copeland.
“We’re trying to stress to people that not coming forward is as good as condoning what happened here,” Copeland said. “All it takes is one person. This is something we really struggle with in most homicides.”
As of press time Sunday, no arrests had been made and police had not released any descriptions of the suspects. Police also did not release the names of the victims.
Copeland said policewere “still trying to figure out” if the shootings were gang-related. The Adelphi neighborhood, well-known as a hub of gang activity, had not had a homicide in 2006 until Friday. He said police are dispatching more officers to the area to try to thwart any further violence stemming from the shootings.
