A teenage boy was shot Friday on the 4600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW, adding to a troubling streak of youth gun violence across the District. Metropolitan Police said officers arrived to find the teen conscious and breathing, and he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Investigators have not released any details about a suspect or possible motive.
What police said
According to WUSA9, officers were called to the 4600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW and found a teenage male victim who was conscious and breathing when they arrived. The outlet reports that he was transported to a local hospital and that police had not identified a suspect or shared any information about a motive.
WUSA9 also noted that the shooting was the fourth incident involving a teenager in roughly 10 days, a run of cases that has left parents and neighbors feeling like they are constantly bracing for the next siren.
Citywide cluster of teen violence
The Southwest shooting comes on the heels of a deadly April 14 attack on Kenilworth Avenue NE that killed 14-year-old Tyale Coates and wounded 12-year-old Mhilo Young, who later died, according to NBC4. That case rattled Northeast D.C., with two boys caught in a burst of gunfire that residents say they are struggling to process.
Earlier this week, another teen was found shot near the Waterfront Metro station, per FOX 5 DC. With shootings now touching multiple corners of the city, local leaders say families and neighborhoods are on edge and looking for answers.
Officials and tip line
“Anytime you have children who lose their lives at the other end of a gun it's senseless,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told NBC4 after the Northeast shootings, a blunt assessment that echoes what many residents have been saying at community meetings and on neighborhood blocks.
Detectives are asking anyone with information, video or tips about the Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue shooting to contact the Metropolitan Police Department. The department lists its anonymous text tip line as 50411 and its call line as (202) 727-9099, per the Metropolitan Police Department. MPD says the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Police are urging witnesses to come forward and say investigators will review any footage or tips that might help identify suspects. This story will be updated as officials release more information.
