Gunfire has become a grim fixture on the 200 block of W Street Northwest in Washington, DC's LeDroit Park, where home surveillance cameras picked up the sound of at least 10 rounds fired just after 4:30 p.m. on October 14. Neighbors say that shooting was far from an isolated event, and they are demanding that city officials finally do something about it.
As reported by WUSA9, the shootings have been concentrated along the border between Ward 1 and Ward 5. DC crime data shows at least nine registered gun-violence incidents in LeDroit Park so far in 2026, though neighbors believe the real number is much higher than what gets officially logged.
Much of the gunfire has unfolded near public housing that occupies most of the 200 block of W Street Northwest, right next to a playground separated from the housing community by only a chain-link fence. Swathi Bojedla, president of the Seaton Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization, said the playground is used by about 350 schoolchildren who are outside all day, every day. Seaton Elementary students were relocated to the K.C. Lewis swing space on Bryant Street Northwest for two years during school renovations, with Langley Elementary students set to move into the renovated Seaton building once that stay ends.
A Mother's Fear, Caught on Camera
Bojedla said she once asked MPD officers to park nearby during a school movie night because she feared a shooting might happen. Surveillance video reviewed by the station shows people dressed in black with covered faces exiting a car and firing dozens of rounds toward W Street Northwest — footage that echoes a March video showing a family and a woman running for cover as a man fell over his bike during gunfire, with an MPD cruiser parked at W and 2nd Street Northwest at the time. Neighbors said a black sedan seen speeding away was the getaway vehicle, and an MPD officer followed it after it passed the cruiser.
Resident David Michael said his mother has twice had to take his children down to the basement to hide during gunfire. He also said a police commander told him officers could be held criminally liable if a shooter crashed into a parked police car and was injured — a constraint he says limits how aggressively police can respond in the moment.
Drew Schneider said he has considered moving to another neighborhood with his wife because of safety concerns. He described being at the playground with his daughter on a Sunday at 4 p.m. when gunshots forced everyone to scatter. A neighbor also said they planned to move out.
Police Say Enforcement Is Up, But Residents Aren't Convinced
MPD Third District Commander Sean Conners said shooters monitor officers in the area and will fire from the street when officers step away to check an alley. MPD says it has increased its visibility and expanded patrol coverage in LeDroit Park over the past year, installed a 24-hour camera connected to its crime center, and made 33 arrests in the area in 2026, including one involving a 15-year-old found with an illegal gun. Police also say they are working with federal agencies and operating in other locations where suspected shooters may gather before heading to LeDroit Park.
Still, that track record hasn't reassured longtime residents. In an earlier LeDroit Park shooting that left a 13-year-old boy shot twice in the leg, the injured boy ran several blocks to Ledroit Market for help, according to WUSA9. A neighbor at the time said increased police presence over the years hadn't stopped the shootings: “For years we've had increased presence in the neighborhood, and it hasn't stopped these things from happening.”
Gunfire Has Torn Through Homes Before
In a separate shooting that injured a 15-year-old boy, gunfire tore through a home on V Street NW, according to NBC Washington. Resident Aisha Goodman said she shielded her two grandchildren as at least 10 bullets flew over their heads; she had lived in the Kelly Miller Dwellings for eight years and said she wanted to move because she no longer felt safe.
Claire Brunner, another LeDroit Park resident, said she could not identify any tangible resources allocated to the problem and felt officials had not responded effectively. LeDroit Park residents say they love their community but have genuinely considered moving away because of the gunfire.
Officials Respond, Though Not All of Them
Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau's office did not respond to WUSA9's request for comment on this story. But in a separate Ward 1 update, Nadeau said she has been monitoring incidents in LeDroit Park alongside recent gun violence in Adams Morgan and the area around 15th and Euclid: “I've monitored incidents in LeDroit Park, Adams Morgan, and the area around 15th & Euclid,” she said, according to Brianne Nadeau's office. She said her team attended an ANC 1E public-safety community meeting where residents could raise concerns directly with MPD, ANCs, and her office, and that Ward 1's violence-prevention team, led by NAARC, works the streets daily to de-escalate conflict, get guns off the streets, and prevent retaliation. She added that she has also been in touch with the Fourth District police commander about recent gun violence in Park View.
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker represents the other side of the border where the violence occurs. Lindsay Appiah, the district's deputy mayor of public safety, said the conduct shown in the surveillance video was unacceptable and caused fear, and the district government has sent violence interrupters into the area to de-escalate tensions, prevent retaliation, and maintain a presence during after-school hours. Brooke Pinto, who chairs the Council's Public Safety and Justice Committee, called for actionable solutions that combine investment in MPD with proactive violence intervention. An MPD spokesperson said the department is committed to working with residents, community leaders, and government partners on long-term solutions to the violence.
