Shots Fired, Vehicle Overturned at 11th and U Streets NW
A silver car flipped over after shots were fired at along U Street around 12:30 this afternoon. (Aaron Morrissey)
UPDATE (1:47 p.m.): If the shooting does turn out to be related to the funeral procession -- and all indications currently point to that conclusion -- it's worth noting that this isn't the first time that funerals have been targeted for high-profile retaliation by D.C. gunmen. In the Post's definitive report about March's South Capitol Street shootings which killed four, it was revealed that those gunmen originally planned a hit during a funeral at St. Augustine Church, which is located but blocks away from Walker Memorial. Also, DeOnté Rawlings' brother George was killed while trying to board a Metrobus after leaving a funeral service in November 2009.
UPDATE: NBCWashington is reporting that one person has died in the incident and two people were injured. TBD is reporting that the shooting was a drive-by that was related to the funeral procession. The funeral, held at Walker Memorial Baptist Church, was for Ashley McRae, who was killed near Bruce Place SE last week. Bryan Weaver, who has worked with youth in Ward 1 for some time, tweets that police covered the body of an African-American male in his 20s, heartbreakingly adding "Might know him."
Shots were fired along U Street NW this afternoon around 12:30 p.m. As you can imagine, with it being lunch time along U Street there were plenty of eyewitnesses and it is actually amazing that more people were not caught in a crossfire or injured by the flipping automobile. From DCist headquarters, located on U Street, it sounded as if eight or nine shots were fired in rapid succession -- eyewitness reports confirmed that number of rounds.
Details about the actual gunfire are scant -- a Ben's Chili Bowl employee that we talked with on the scene said that he saw gunmen fleeing from the scene southbound. Other eyewitnesses also said that two men escaped from the overturned car after the crash and fled on foot. D.C. Fire and EMS are on the scene and evaluating injuries, but there is no word yet on specifics. The car was completely totaled.
A funeral procession was also going down 13th Street at the time of the shooting.
Several people were in hysterical tears by the entrance to Solly's at the intersection of 11th and U, and it took several authorities to calm them. Emotions were running very high at the scene; several people who were yelling at police had to forced to leave the scene as they investigated. Detectives with MPD were on their way to the scene when DCist came back to file this report.
Obviously, this is a developing story and we will provide updates as soon as we get more information.
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