No arrests yet in deadly Sunday morning Shaw shooting
WASHINGTON - Business and community advocates in the Shaw neighborhood are calling for enhancements to public safety measures after a shooting left two dead and five others injured.
According to D.C. police, the shooting happened around 3 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of 7 Street and P Street Northwest.
The department said that three men and two women were found with gunshot wounds, and two others died on the scene.
The two victims killed have been identified as 32-year-old Anthony Brown of Northwest, Washington, D.C., and 32-year-old Jay Lucks of Baltimore.
ANC Commissioner Alexander Padro, who also serves as executive director of Shaw Main Streets, said he heard the gunshots from his home.
"I heard what sounded like a bang or explosion, followed by eight distinct separate gunshots, which subsequently turned out to be more than eight gunshots," Padro recalled.
As of Monday, no arrests have been made. Police said they’re looking for at least one suspect.
"The principal improvement we need in the neighborhood is to see more police on the street, especially in areas where we have nightlife," Padro said. "Unfortunately, there is a lot of evidence that shows nightlife can generate negative impacts and crime does seem to stem from there."
2 dead, 5 injured in mass shooting in Northwest, D.C.
Dohia Ali owns Ducchini’s, a pizza shop near the intersection where the shooting happened.
Ducchini’s has been open in the Shaw neighborhood for about a month and there is a lot of potential, Ali told FOX 5 Monday.
"It’s a really beautiful neighborhood but one of the things I think I have noticed for the last few weeks, is the presence of the police. It’s not around," he said. "You don’t come after things happen. If there is a presence, I don’t think anything will happen. That’s what the neighborhood needs."
Ali said his shop was closed before the shooting happened Sunday morning. He would like to stay open later on weekends, though he said situations like what happened this past weekend make him hesitant.
"I have been in Adams Morgan since 1988. Ducchini has been there since 1988. We have seen the worst, but it’s really a nice area, a beautiful area, and a nice neighborhood. I hope that the city gives it some attention," he said. "To avoid the things we have seen for the last few weeks, we close early. We close at 2 a.m., 1:30 a.m. Sometimes, if we see worse, we close at 11 p.m."
Police in D.C. are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction regarding the shooting on Sunday.