A gunshot near Howard University in Washington, D.C. injured five persons, and two suspects were arrested.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) statement, officers were dispatched to Howard Place NW, just outside the Howard campus, around 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, October 24. They discovered five victims: three men, one lady, and a teenage boy, all “conscious and breathing.”
DC Fire and EMS arrived to the site and took the victims to local hospitals, according to the MPD.
The MPD told DC News Now, NBC Washington, and The Washington Post that one of the victims attended Morgan State University, but none were Howard University students. According to officials, the teenage victim was 13 years old.
According to the MPD, two people were arrested and three guns were found. Their identities have not been made public. According to reports, one of the suspects attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended in a neighboring McDonald’s parking lot.
The football teams from Howard University and Morgan State University will face off on Saturday as part of Howard’s homecoming weekend.
Howard said in a statement on Saturday that the incident was not school-related and that no students, educators, or staff were engaged. The institution stated that the event appeared to start with a confrontation between two people.
“HUPD [Howard University Police Department] has implemented enhanced security measures throughout the weekend, including an increased presence of University security and personnel and local law enforcement agencies on and around campus to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all,” according to the institution.
“The University appreciates the swift and coordinated response of MPD and HUPD officers, whose actions helped protect the safety of our community,” Mr. Howard stated.
Morgan State did not promptly respond to PEOPLE’s request for information.
Witnesses who were there during the shooting reported hearing screaming and gunfire.
“All we heard was yelling,” one man told DC News Now. “We can’t do anything in D.C.” This happens every time there is a function in D.C., particularly homecoming. D.C. is deadly.”
Another witness, Jaiden Ramirez, told the source that he was playing basketball nearby when he noticed three males running across the street, yelling, before six to seven gunshots were fired.
“We panicked, we ran inside, and then we came outside 30 minutes after,” Ramirez fondly remembered. “We were not trying to get shot.”
During a Friday night press conference, MPD Chief Pamela Smith encouraged D.C. residents to “put the guns down.”
“We need people to put down these guns in our city,” she told NBC4 Washington. “We’re not going to tolerate individuals coming into our town with firearms.”
