Violent crimes continue to rise in Washington, D.C., with the latest instances involving an elementary school that reportedly went on lockdown Monday after bullets struck several windows of a kindergarten classroom, and the fatal shooting of a teenager Tuesday, marking the 200th homicide in the capital this year.
FOX 5 D.C. reported that the gunfire was heard around 1:35 p.m. near Stanton Elementary School on Naylor Road in the southeastern portion of the city.
At the time, students were outside and rushed back into the building. Those who were already inside were moved away from windows, and all movement inside was put on hold.
Investigators swept the building and discovered bullets struck windows of both an empty fifth grade classroom and two windows of a kindergarten classroom.
By 2:10 p.m., school officials lifted the lockdown; no injuries were reported.
“I want to acknowledge that coping with the effects of community violence is a difficult experience, and we will support our Stanton family in any way we can,” Principal Allen Richardson said in a letter to the school community.
The gunfire near the school joins numerous other shootings in the city that have contributed to the rising crime rate.
Just hours after the lockdown, a teenage boy was fatally shot on Green Street, the news station reported.
Another shooting before midnight resulted in the death of a woman on Fitch Street, also in the southeast section. And over the weekend, 31-year-old Blake Bozeman, a father and college basketball player, was shot and killed at the Cru Lounge.
On Tuesday, another teenager was shot and killed, marking the capital’s 200th homicide of 2023.
The D.C. Police Union posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the shooting in the northeast section of the city hit the milestone.
“We are still short 100s of cops and the responsible policing that used to address this has been prohibited by misguided legislation,” the union posted.
The city’s police department’s data shows homicides are up 28% from last year, motor vehicle thefts are up 106% and total violent crime is up 37%.