Nine people, including a child and a teenager, were hurt in a drive-by shooting that targeted a Fourth of July gathering in Washington D.C., police said. Four people are in critical condition, and police are looking for an SUV and suspects.
Someone drove a dark-colored SUV, possibly a blue Hyundai Tucson with DC tags GC5338, in the 4700 block of Meade Street in the Deanwood area and stopped in front of the gathering, the Metropolitan Department of Police said. At least one person in the SUV opened fire. Officers responded just before 1 a.m.
“As it drove through the street, it stopped and it fired shots in the direction of some of our residents that were outside,” Assistant Chief Leslie Parsons said at a news conference.
Advisory neighborhood commissioner Antawan Holmes said he heard a combination of fireworks and gunfire outside his home.
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“I looked out and I heard people say, ‘They shot a child!’” he said.
D.C. Fire and EMS crews took several people to hospitals, and some victims took themselves. At least four people were in critical condition and three have non life-threatening injuries, police said.
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A 10-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl are among the victims.
The boy who was shot is in intensive care with a bullet lodged in his back, his aunt said. She asked not to be identified. Her sister was shot in the hand, she said.
The woman said the cookout had been peaceful in years past but she won’t host it again.
“I don’t want nobody’s blood on my hands,” she said.
Shattered glass and fireworks debris could be seen on the street.
Police are looking for the dark-colored SUV. No arrests have been announced.
Police believe this was a targeted attack and are asking anyone with photos, video or other information that could help the investigation to contact them.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping with the investigation.
A spate of violence marred the holiday in D.C., with eight other shootings between 4:30 p.m. and midnight.
DC devoted extra resources to July 4 safety
District officials had deployed what they called Safety Go Teams to 28 “hot spot” neighborhoods on Monday and Tuesday nights. Staff from the Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services and others were tasked with trying to engage with residents and deescalate conflicts.
There was not a Safety Go Team in Deanwood. Police say they responded to the shooting within one to three minutes.
Ward 7 Council Member Vince Gray issued a statement on what he called the District’s inadequate response to violence.
“I am frustrated with a lack of progress and urgency on the issue of crime and public safety in the District and in Ward 7,” he said.
UPDATE (July 5, 2023, 5:05 p.m. ET): The child who was shot and wounded is 10, according to his aunt. Police had said he is 9.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
