A doorbell camera in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood captured the sound of dozens of shots Wednesday night that left one man dead, two men hurt, cars riddled with bullets and the neighborhood shaken.
What sounded like automatic gunfire erupted at 7th and O streets NW just before 9:30 p.m. The shooter or shooters opened fire just steps from an apartment complex playground and a recreation center.
“This is completely unacceptable, and our detectives are doing everything they can to bring these folks to justice,” Chief of Police Pamela Smith said.
Two people were killed and seven others were hurt in at least five separate shootings within a span of seven hours in D.C.
Police released an image of a Jeep Cherokee believed to be connected to the Shaw shooting and another shooting less than an hour earlier on 37th Place SE.
Hours later a female passenger of a car was shot in the neck when the driver accidentally made a wrong turn from Hyatt Place NW onto the 1400 block of Park Road NW, which is a one-way street.
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In the neighborhood, a resident who moved to Shaw from Virginia just a year ago said she’s considering moving.
“It’s just a lot with the youth out here. I have never seen teenagers in between that 16 to 21 [range] so unhinged,” she said.
Alexander Padro, the head of Shaw Main Streets and an elected neighborhood leader, said he and his neighbors are frustrated by the violence.
“It’s just inconceivable that we can’t manage to get this situation under control,” he said.
Last week, the police chief and Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about double-digit drops in homicides and violent crimes in the District so far this year.
On Thursday, Bowser called Wednesday a tough night.
“This may be a beef-related set of shootings. We’re in touch with all of our people on the street, who are passing information along, and we will identify the shooters,” she said.
The investigation is ongoing. D.C. police said no arrests have been made yet.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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