A rash of gun violence has pushed the number of homicides in D.C. past 200 for the second year in a row, leaving three men dead and another injured late Thursday and early Friday, police said.
Three shootings happened in fewer than eight hours across three quadrants of the city. No suspects have been arrested or identified; a $25,000 reward is available in each case.
Two of the victims, a 21-year-old and a 50-year-old, were identified as residents of Prince George's County.
D.C. recorded 226 homicides in 2021, according to police data. Before that, the District hadn’t reached 200 murders a year since 2003.
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Man’s Death in Edgewood Shooting Marked 200th Homicide of 2022
Police responded to the District’s 200th homicide in the Edgewood area just after 7 p.m. Thursday.
Officers went to investigate in the 2300 block of 7th Street NE, near Franklin Street, after hearing gunshots.
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Aniekobo Macaulay Umoh, of Brandywine, Maryland, was found critically injured and unconscious, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, police said.
Umoh was 50 years old.
Police were looking for a red SUV last seen in the 600 block of Franklin Street in connection with the shooting.
Man Killed, “Unintended Victim” Shot Near Anacostia Busboys & Poets
The next shooting occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue near U Street Southeast, police said, outside a Busboys and Poets restaurant.
Two men were shot about 9:30 p.m., police said.
One man — the target of the shooting — displayed no signs of life by the time D.C. Fire and EMS began to treat him. His body was transported to the medical examiner's office, police said. Police say they will release his identity once his family is notified.
A second man — an “unintended victim” — was conscious and breathing when sent to a hospital. He was in stable condition late Thursday and is expected to survive, police said.
Police didn’t immediately name the victims. Officers were looking for a gray Buick sedan seen in the area.
Man Killed Overnight in Columbia Heights
A fatal shooting in Columbia Heights early Friday marked the 202nd homicide reported by the Metropolitan Police Department in 2022.
Police responded about 2:30 a.m. to an alley near Clifton and University Place and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.
D.C. Fire and EMS tried to save his life, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
He was identified as Jhonatan Guzman Hernandez, 21, of Upper Marlboro, police said.
Officers were looking for two potential suspects, males who were wearing all black and armed with a handgun, D.C. police said.
Anyone who saw something unusual or suspicious is asked to contact D.C. police.
D.C. Police Union Blasts Crime Numbers
Gregg Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. police union, released a statement blasting higher crime rates and pointing a finger at the city council, saying reform measures weren’t properly considered.
The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute says the Metropolitan Police Department budget shrunk by 1.7% between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, once accounting for inflation. MPD often spends more than its allotted budget, typically to fund officer overtime, the institute said.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said earlier this year that staffing shortages are a big problem for MPD, causing delays in emergency responses. Contee told the D.C. Council those delays and an uptick in crime are reasons new police funding and recruiting need to ramp up quickly.
In 2021, the D.C. Police Reform Commission recommended downsizing the force.
The D.C. Council passed a sweeping overhaul of the city's criminal code earlier this year — the first such update since 1901.
Contee told News4 that while he supports some aspects of the new criminal code, he's against decreasing the penalties for gun crimes.
"Anytime you talk about reducing penalties, the consequence that is associated with crimes that are particularly impactful to community members, I think that that is just a non-starter," Contee said.
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