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Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith confirmed that there were two fatal shootings across the city within an hour of each other that left one teen and a man dead as the District's death toll continues to rise.
At around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, officers were called to the 1400 block of New Jersey Avenue to investigate a shooting involving two groups of teenagers that left one suffering from gunshot wounds.
Smith said that the teen - whose name or age has not been released - was rushed to an area hospital where he later died.
The initial investigation into the first shooting determined that the teenager had left Dunbar High School and was walking near the intersection of Peach Street NW when another teen took out a gun and shot him several times.
While still investigating that shooting, Smith said that homicide detectives were then called at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, when a man was caught in the crossfire of a hail of gunfire between two vehicles in the area of Savannah Street SE.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"In just the past two hours, we had two people killed in our community by senseless acts of gun violence," Smith said. "We have too many guns on our streets and as a community, we need to do everything we can to stop this violence from plaguing our city."
It is reportedly the earliest the District has reported 200 homicides since 1997.
Last year, that number was hit until Dec. 29, and this now marks the first time since 2002 and 2004 that DC has reported more than 200 homicides in three straight years, according to the DC Police Union.
To date, in 2023, homicides are up 31 percent, armed robberies have increased by a rate of 65 percent, carjackings have doubled, and violent crime (37 percent) and all crime (28 percent) are on hte rise.
Smith also made note that a handful of cases formerly not classified as homicides have been ruled so, likely inflating the figure further.
The Union issued a statement on Tuesday following the deadly day, and specifically pointed a finger at some politicians, stating they were "anti-police and pro-criminal legislation."
"The Police Union remains dedicated to working with the DC Council and other elected officilas to find positive ways in which we can achieve meaningful police reform while also keeping communities safe from violent crime.
"We hope these years of tragic, but largely avoidable loss of life does not go unnoticed."
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