15-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in Columbia Heights

A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed late Monday in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Northwest D.C., authorities say.

Malachi Jackson, of Northwest, was the victim, police said Tuesday.

"It hurt a lot. It destroyed me and it just makes me wonder, like, do people even value anything anymore?" Jackson's mother told News4. She did not want to be identified.

Officers responded to the 3000 block of 13th Street NW, a short walk from the Columbia Heights Metro station, at about 10:50 p.m. The teen was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead.

Neighbors said they heard a number of shots, and one bullet pierced through the window of a nearby home.

No information on a suspect was immediately released.

Police are investigating the possibility the shooting is a result of a neighborhood fued.

His mother believes he might have been set up.

"I'm angry and I'm upset because my son was not supposed to be murdered. He's a baby, a child," she said.

People who live in the area say they've repeatedly complained about an increase in violence in the neighborhood.

"It's very alarming. Not only is it alarming, it's very difficult for me to really express right now how concerning it is, how seriously that we take it," Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Han Kim said.

"My oldest son is gone. My firstborn child. My first real love I ever had," his mother said.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact police. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to a conviction. 

Reports of violent crime in D.C. are up 28% since this time last year, crime statistics show. Homicides are down 8%, from 52 killings to 46. 

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.