Southeast DC drive-by shooting leaves 4 injured

WASHINGTON - Police say a woman is in very grave condition after being shot, along with three others, in a drive-by shooting in Southeast, D.C.

The shooting was reported at about 11 a.m. at the intersection of 16th and U streets in the Anacostia area.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser were less than a mile away when the shooting occurred as they were addressing the homicide investigation of a 14-year-old boy who was killed over the weekend in a nearby neighborhood.

Newsham said that police believe a shooter opened fire from inside a vehicle and struck the victims who were standing outside of a corner store. Newsham said the female victim suffered the most serious injuries. The two men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Newsham said they were investigating the report of a fourth victim arriving at a nearby hospital with a graze wound.

The police chief said there was a look-out for a light-color sedan.

"What we have here is a brazen disregard for public safety," Newsham said at the scene. "Opening fire in the middle of the day on a street where people are visiting a grocery store is unacceptable."

Sarrona Garcia says she recently moved from the area because of the violence.

"I can't take it anymore. I've been here for about 11 or 12 years, and I just can't," she says,

"We're not going to tolerate it, we're going to get to the bottom of this thing, somebody is going to be held accountable for this," said Chief Newsham.

"The bottom line is we're going to have other families who are now victims of this violence and we have to get to the bottom of who is responsible," added Bowser.

No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact police.