The video, from the night of the shooting, is below. If you have trouble viewing it, find it in the MPD Youtube channel here.
Detective Scott Guthrie of the MPD reviewed the public facts of the case. Two 22-year-old men were shot at the intersection of Fifth and Q Streets. The victims survived and were released. The victims did not reveal the identity of the shooters. Guthrie said the two victims do not reside in the area but "have ties". Police are looking for a slim African-American, between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, who was seen fleeing the scene, in connection with the case.
There have been no related incidents since then, Guthrie said. As a result of increased police presence in the area in the days following the shooting, a man was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, but there is no evidence this arrest has any connection to the shooting.
The police took questions from the roughly 30 members of the audience. There were many details the police said they could not reveal, for example, placement of video cameras, number of shell casings found, and possible criminal backgrounds of the victims.
Someone asked if the shooting was gang-related.
"Everybody jumps to that conclusion," Detective Kenneth Arrington said. "But we haven't established any connection."
Some people complained about local policing. One person said police can be "very disrespectful".
"The residents here do not trust the police," said another.
Toward the end of the meeting, mayoral candidate and D.C. City Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward Six) appeared. Wells did not comment or ask the police any questions.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the MPD at 202-727-9099 or via the MPD text tip line 50411.
MPD has more video from other sources. At least 10 shell casings were found across the street outside my window closer to P St; there must have been more up the street:
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Just because the victims fell to the ground and started bleeding out of their clothes at 5th&Q doesn't mean that they were shot there — unless the shooter(s) had sniper quality aim at moving targets more than half a block away with so many cars on the block serving as obstructions. (Thought maybe they play a lot of violent video games during their off hours when not selling drugs or gunslinging.) At least one car got hit and was towed to check ballistics:
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Police response time was breathtaking, likely thanks to the local ShotSpotter technology they installed on some of Shaw's taller building's years ago that distinguishes and triangulates actual gun fire with pinpoint precision. Our current local MPD PSA officers are super nice and personable from my experience. But they should be more visible as foot patrols to increase familiarity and trust in the community.
#5thStShooting