Chinatown was the scene of a robbery-turned-shooting last Saturday, followed by a carjacking involving the same victim who was also the perpetrator of the latter crime. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is actively seeking the public's help to identify the suspects involved in these incidents, as the chain of violent events has caused alarm in the community.
The trouble began on May 24 at about 4:10 p.m., when police were dispatched to the intersection of 7th and H Street, Northwest, following reports of a shooting; they found evidence of a crime but no victim, moments later however, there was another call this time about an attempted armed carjacking close by, the victim of which also turned out to be the gunshot victim. The MPD informed that the incident took an unexpected turn when the victim of the shooting, identified as 20-year-old Charnell Whitfield, attempted to hijack a moped but was unsuccessful. He was subsequently arrested in the 400 block of Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, and charged with Armed Carjacking (Gun), bearing CCN: 25077316, after being treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Further investigation by the detectives linked the carjacking back to the earlier shooting in Chinatown. According to the details, Whitfield was confronted by two suspects who demanded property at gunpoint; they shot at him, seized his belongings, and then fled the scene. Whitfield himself then fled to H Street, where the carjacking attempt took place, as per a statement released on MPD's official website. The report on the website shows CCN: 25077498 for the shooting and robbery incident.
The suspects still at large were caught on surveillance footage, which the MPD has released in hopes that someone will recognize them, images and a video of the suspects can be seen at the provided URL link, it's an effort to bring them to justice and also to closure for a community rattled by the day's violence. Anyone with information on the suspects is urged to step forward and contact the police. The quick succession of criminal events, from the shooting to Whitfield's own attempted theft, paints a chaotic picture that has left Chinatown residents looking for answers and reassurance of their safety.
