Teenager killed, police officer among 3 injured in Washington DC shooting

Washington [US]: A teenager was shot dead and three others including a police officer were injured in a shooting in the area of 14th and U Street Northwest in Washington, DC, officials said.

The shooting took place at a music event on U Street Northwest in Washington, DC, at a location that is just less than 2 miles from the White House. “MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) is responding to the situation in the area of 14th and U Street, NW, for a shooting incident in which multiple people have been shot, including an MPD officer. Media staging at 15th and U Street, NW. Chief Contee to provide a media briefing,” said the DC Police Department in a tweet.

In a tweet, DC Police Union also confirmed that a police officer was shot during the DC shooting. “We can confirm that one of our members working in the area of 14th and U St NW has been shot. The member has been transported to the hospital and is in stable condition.”

According to a local media outlet, the shooting took place at or near the site of a Juneteenth music concert called “Moechella” on 14th and U Street. There are unconfirmed reports of more victims being found with one MPD officer being shot in the leg police are asking everyone to avoid the area, said local US media on Monday.

With increasing incidents of gun violence in the United States, President Joe Biden had said that the US needs to ban assault weapons for the sake of protecting children and families or raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21.

“We need to ban assault weapons. … if we can’t, then we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21. Ban high-capacity magazines. Strengthen background checks. Enact safe storage laws and red flag laws. Repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,” he said.

He further said that this is not about taking away anyone’s rights. “It’s about protecting children. It’s about protecting families. It’s about protecting communities. It’s about protecting our freedoms to go to school, to a grocery store, to go to church without being shot and killed,” he said.

“This is not about taking away anyone’s guns…we believe that we should be treating responsible gun owners as examples of how every gun owner should behave,” he said.

On May 24, a mass shooting incident took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in which several people including 19 children were killed. This was the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN.

On May 31, an elderly woman was killed and two other persons were injured when gunfire erupted at a high school graduation ceremony in New Orleans.

The shooting occurred outside the Convocation Center on the campus of Xavier University where graduates of Morris Jeff High School were gathered, NBC News reported citing New Orleans police.

On June 1, at least four people were killed in a shooting incident at a hospital campus in Oklahoma’s Tulsa city, CNN reported citing police. The shootout incidents in the US have been increasing.