2 dead, 3 injured after shooting in Southeast DC

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Two people are dead and three others were injured after a shooting in the 1300 block of Congress Street, near Savannah Street, in Southeast on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) says they received a call after 1:20 p.m. for a report of multiple victims shot.

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On scene, D.C. Acting Police Chief Robert J. Contee confirmed that five people were shot in total. A man and woman were killed.

The chief said four people were transported by ambulance to area hospitals. One person took themselves to the hospital. The three other victims had non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting appeared to have started with an argument between two groups of people, the chief told reporters.

"Everyone is loved by somebody, prayerfully. To see a mom who passed, you know, got a 9-month old baby and several other kids, she’s also married … it’s just a bad situation all the way around," said Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White on the female victim in this shooting.

Shekita McBroom, an ANC Commissioner in Southeast told FOX 5, "It’s trauma after trauma. Unfortunately, this is six years ago, we had the same issue here with a mother of children that is taken away by gunfire. And we revisit this again in the same location."

"I just feel like with this situation, it could’ve probably been de-escalated had we had some services in place. Maybe people who could’ve been in the ears in whomever in this situation – not to talk out of turn because I don’t everything that occurred. But I know right now, there are four children who will not have a mother tonight," McBroom added, saying she’s calling for any volunteers and violence interrupters to sweep through the Congress Heights neighborhood where this shooting took place.

Cell phone video posted to the account, "Killmoenews," appears to show neighbors in a struggle before a single gunshot is fired. The person recording begins to move away from the scene just before what sounds like a barrage of bullets is heard.

Chief Contee did not identify any of the victims right away or release any information on the suspect. Contee also said police are not ruling out multiple suspects.

FOX 5 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available