Gunfire rang out on a Southeast D.C. block in the dead of night, but by the time officers rolled up, the shooter was gone and so were any apparent victims. Now, the hunt is on. D.C. police have released surveillance video of a person they want to identify in connection with a late March shooting in Southeast Washington. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the incident happened around 3:32 a.m. on March 27 in the 600 block of Melon Street SE, after Seventh District officers on patrol heard shots and arrived to find evidence of a shooting but no one hit.
Investigators say the individual was captured on nearby security cameras and took off in a vehicle. Police are banking on the footage to spark fresh tips and, eventually, an arrest.
Surveillance footage and the suspect
The department has circulated both still images and a short video clip that show the person of interest near the block. Local TV outlets picked up the images in an effort to widen the search. As reported by WJLA, investigators said the person can be seen on nearby cameras leaving in a vehicle, and officers at the scene recovered evidence consistent with gunfire.
Detectives stressed that no arrests had been made at the time the footage was released, and the person in the video has not been publicly identified.
How to share tips
Police are asking anyone who knows anything about the shooting or recognizes the person in the footage to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099 or text tips to 50411. A reward of up to $10,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible, according to the Metropolitan Police Department's news releases.
Officials are urging residents to hold onto any relevant photos, video, or home security clips and send them directly to investigators, and to avoid trying to confront or follow anyone they believe might be involved.
Where this fits locally
The call for public help lands amid a string of late night gun reports in Southeast this spring and renewed targeted patrols in busy parts of the quadrant. Hoodline previously reported "Lone Gunshot Sparks Late-Night Police Swarm" after officers responded to a single shot call in Navy Yard and the department described stepped-up deployments aimed at deterring violence.
Both community members and police leaders say that quick tips and clear camera footage often determine how fast a case moves, especially when there are no victims on scene and the only clues come from whoever was awake or watching their security feed at the time.
Legal note
MPD materials label the individual in the images as a "person of interest in endangerment with a firearm" in connection with the incident, according to WJLA. That designation means investigators want to identify and may seek to charge the person, but it does not indicate that the individual has been arrested or formally charged.
