WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tragic news emerged from Southeast D.C. on Friday night when a three-year-old girl was fatally wounded in a shooting, according to officials with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The toddler ultimately succumbed to her injuries at a hospital after being airlifted by Park Police.
Officers were called to the vicinity of Irving Street and 24th Street in Southeast D.C. around 9 p.m. after hearing gunshots. When they arrived at the scene of the shooting, they found the critically injured young girl at a nearby firehouse where local Fire and Police officials were providing immediate assistance.
MPD officers confirmed that the child was inside of a vehicle when the shooting incident took place. They believe she was not the intended target of the fatal gunfire. Evidence of an exchange of gunfire was found in the 2200 block of Hartford Street, Southeast, where multiple shell casings were collected.
As the MPD digests the shocking event, an official urgently made a public appeal during a news conference. The spokesperson expressed devastating sorrow over the loss, which was deemed an “absolute tragedy” and “unacceptable,” while encouraging community members to provide any available information about the incident.
The MPD investigation into the deadly gunfire continues.