A predawn shooting near a bus stop in Northeast Washington escalated into a police shooting less than 20 minutes later, leaving both the original victim and the suspected gunman in critical condition at a hospital. The chain of events shut down sections of Minnesota Avenue and disrupted Metro bus service through the morning commute.
Officers responded around 5 a.m. Thursday to a shooting in the 4100 block of Minnesota Avenue and found a man with gunshot wounds near a bus stop, according to FOX 5 DC. As reported by KFOX, police say a man approached and shot the victim near the bus stop before fleeing the scene.
About 20 minutes later, officers still working the original scene received a report of a man firing a weapon in a parking lot in the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, the station's report notes. A caller described the person as wearing a red-and-black jacket, and officers spotted someone matching that description in the lot, per KFOX's account of the chief's remarks.
Officer Opens Fire as Suspect Allegedly Shoots at Another Person
Responding officers saw the gunman waving a firearm and shooting at a nearby person who was reportedly leaving a store, and officers opened fire, striking the suspect, per the same account. A D.C. police officer fired a patrol rifle that struck the suspect, according to the chief's description relayed by KFOX. Emergency personnel transported both the bus-stop victim and the suspected gunman to a hospital in critical condition.
Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said the two shootings happened about 19 minutes apart. Detectives determined that the man shot by officers was the same person accused of shooting the man at the bus stop, the chief said, though he added that the relationship between the suspect and either targeted individual remains unknown.
Minnesota Avenue Closures and Metro Disruptions
Police recovered a firearm from the scene where officers shot the suspect. As of 8 a.m., sections of Minnesota Avenue NE were closed in the 4100 to 4200 blocks between Grant Street and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, as well as in the 3900 block between Benning Road and Clay Place. The nearby Metro rail station remained open to customers, though bus service in the area was impacted by the investigation.
The suspect is expected to face charges in both cases, according to MPD. Police believe no suspects remain outstanding and that the area is safe. The investigation disrupted Metro bus service and closed the portion of Minnesota Avenue, per the same FOX 5 DC report.
