8 people, including 12-year-old girl, shot in 2 "likely connected" shootings in Washington, D.C.
Eight people were shot in multiple locations in a Washington D.C. neighborhood, including a 12-year-old girl, police said Friday night.
There were two scenes, which police believe are connected. The shootings happened around 10 p.m. in the southeast part of the city, Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Andre Wright said in a news conference.
At the first scene, which police said was in the 500 block of Lebaum Street, seven men were shot, police said. All were adults. None of the injuries were life-threatening, Wright said, and "most of" the victims were able to transport themselves to local hospitals.
The second scene was in the 2900 block of Second Street, less than a mile from the first scene. Wright said police were at the Lebuam Street scene when they were notified of the second location.
Upon arrival at the Second Street scene, police found the 12-year-old girl. She had a gunshot wound on her lower extremities, Wright said.
"Thank God she's also stable and (her injuries are) non-life-threatening," Wright said.
Wright said that the information is still "very preliminary" and that the investigation is ongoing. It's possible, he said, that the two scenes are not actually connected, but because of the proximity of the locations and the time that elapsed between the incidents, police currently believe them to be related.
"Because of the proximity, the time of events, I think that at this point, and I hate to speculate, but based on the proximity and time of events, the two scenes are most likely connected," Wright said. "We're still investigating both scenes, giving them both due diligence, and if information changes we'll make sure that we get it out to you all."
Wright said that there is no information yet about a possible motive in the shootings, and he could not say how many suspects may have been involved.
"Once thing we know for sure, and we're asking for the community and the public's health is we're looking for a black sedan, possibly a Mercedes, who witnesses say drove through the block and indiscriminately fired upon individuals here in LeBaum," Wright said, adding that investigators knew that everyone injured at the first scene was injured by gunfire from that car. "We have to shore up exactly what the look out is on the second scene."
Wright asked the public for any information, and said the department was dedicated to solving the case.
"I think, like I said, it's a beautiful night," he said. "There were folks who were hanging out here and there were folks who were milling about on the second street scene, and for some reason you have some people that think it was OK to fire a firearm at multiple individuals at two different scenes and we're not going to let that stand."
