Three teenagers were wounded in a spate of shootings near several schools in the Congress Heights area of Southeast Washington on Thursday. D.C. police said a weapon was recovered and two people were detained for questioning about the three shootings, which all happened at about 9:30 a.m. But investigators say they are still determining what sparked the shootings and whether they are related.
The two people in custody have not been charged, said Officer Araz Alali, a D.C. police spokesman.
| Shooting locations |
| Shooting victims were found at the following locations Thursday morning: |
| » 600 block of Alabama Avenue SE |
| » 3300 block of Fourth Street SE |
| » 800 block of Wheeler Hill Drive SE |
| A gun was recovered from the 600 block of Mississippi Avenue SE |
All of the victims were between 16 and 19 years old and male, Alali said. One was hospitalized in critical condition; the other two had injuries that authorities did not consider life-threatening.
Multiple schools, including King Elementary School, Ballou High School, M.C. Terrell/McGogney Elementary School, Hart Middle School and Imagine Southeast Public Charter School, are located on the blocks surrounding the shooting sites, but police do not believe the people involved are connected to any of the schools, according to Alali.
<br/><small>View <a href=”http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=211804600731615601691.0004b6566fc7c0f27037e&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&vpsrc=0&ll=38.840476,-76.997509&spn=0.006685,0.00854&z=15&source=embed” style=”color:#0000FF;text-align:left”>Southeast D.C. shootings, Jan. 12</a> in a larger map</small></div> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Officers responded to a report of a shooting on the 600 block of Alabama Avenue SE and found a teenager who had suffered gunshot wounds and was unconscious.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>The other victims’ injuries appeared less serious, police said. One teenager was shot in the leg on the 3300 block of Fourth Street SE, and another was wounded in his “lower extremities” on the 800 block of Wheeler Hill Drive SE.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>A gun was recovered shortly after the shootings on the 600 block of Mississippi Avenue SE. Police did not provide further information about the weapon.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Alali said investigators still don’t know whether one shooter was responsible for all three incidents or whether any of the victims knew their assailant.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry <a target=”_blank” href=”http://wtop.com/?nid=109&sid=2703792″>said on WTOP</a> that the shootings might have stemmed from a rivalry between two groups.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>”We have too many guns to on the streets,” Barry said. “We have too many young people who don’t care about human life.” </span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>King and Ballou were on lockdown for several hours Thursday, D.C. Public Schools spokesman Fred Lewis said.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Roads around the crime scenes were also closed for several hours Thursday morning and early afternoon.</span></p> <p><span style=”font-style:italic;” class=”EndEmailTag”><i><a href=” mailto:[email protected] “>[email protected]</a></i></span></p>
