The nation’s capital is heading for its deadliest year in two decades with 16 deaths from shootings in August alone. “Dodge City.”
The homicide count in Washington, DC, has already risen to 16 this month as rising crime has plagued residents and city leaders with a council member calling on the National Guard to intervene.
The district has recorded 161 homicides so far, a 28 percent increase from the same period last year.
DailyMail.com this month featured some of the victims, many of whom died in shooting incidents, at least 9 of which took place on August 5 and 6.
According to data collected by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, homicides this year have eclipsed the number of deaths in all of 2018 and years to come with more than 200 total deaths.
D.C. saw annual homicides rise to over 500 in the 1990s and the city’s crack epidemic. Since then, the figure has fallen, but is now rising again.
Historically, easy access to illegal firearms has driven the indiscriminate gun violence, with Councilman Trayon White this week calling on the National Guard to intervene.
White, who maintains office in Ward 8, a statistically higher crime-ridden district, said at a news conference: “Enough is enough.
“We’re tired of this shit,” White said passionately on Tuesday.
“Excuse my language, but I want to be honest with the young men and young ladies we serve.
“It’s not okay for you to load 30, 40, 50 – 120 rounds into a gun and shoot our community.”
White told reporters he talked to the National Guard to find out how to make an official request — including how many members, what they would do, and the length of time.
Historically, easy access to illegal firearms has been the cause of indiscriminate gun violence. Councilman Trayon White (left) has called for the National Guard to be called in, while Mayor Muriel Bowser (right) has said this is not a ‘specific mission’ for them
The nation’s capital is heading for its deadliest year in two decades with 16 deaths from shootings in August alone. This brings back memories of the 1990s crack-fueled killing spree that earned the city the nickname “Dodge City.”
When asked about a proposed increase in the police budget in Washington, White responded this week that “we believe the police are not the ultimate solution to tackling crime in our city.”
When asked why the National Guard had not been called in, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said after a crime-riddled weekend Fox news there was no “specific mission” they could carry out – despite acknowledging the rampant gun violence in her city.
“If we had a specific mission within the National Guard mission, we wouldn’t hesitate to call on them,” she said at the time.
“As for the National Guard – they’re not law enforcement, remember. They don’t know our local laws.
“Normally they don’t make local arrests. What we have used the gendarmerie for, to fulfill a more critical function, has been in traffic posts and we use traffic posts very statically.’
When asked about a proposed budget increase for the Washington police department, White this week replied that “we believe the police are not the ultimate solution to tackling crime in our city.”
However, one passionate white man agreed that change is imperative for the safety of his constituents.
That’s what Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah said Axios“Our focus, and where we will continue to seek council support, is to attract and retain more officers in the Metropolitan Police Department and ensure they have the resources and policy environment to do their job, have a strong presence in our neighborhoods, and make arrests and close cases.’
Flowers were laid outside the houses where 3 people died during an armed conflict on August 6
The weekend’s violence began early Saturday morning when police were called to Ontario Road NW, where three men were shot dead. Pictured is a message from the Morgans’ aunt who wrote a tribute following the incident that killed James Morgan and Jamal Morgan
Last year, 203 homicides were recorded by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department.
The crime rate fell slightly from 2021, from 28,381 to 27,302 in 2022, but the number of firearms recovered increased from 2,310 to 3,152.
The weekend’s violence began early Saturday morning when police were called to Ontario Road NW, where three men were shot dead.
Police identified the victims as James Morgan, 34, Jamal Morgan, 30, and Vincent Martin, 42.
Officers were called around 1 a.m. after gunshots were heard from the busy intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road where the victims were found.
No one has been arrested at this time and police are still investigating the incident.
Later that morning, at 5:04 a.m., 19-year-old Andre Baker was shot dead.
In the evening, three others were shot dead on 16th Street and Good Hope Road. This brings the total to seven fatal shots on Saturday.
Tymea Cook, 27, Bernard Hodges, 35, and Reginald Gilbert, 34, were the latest victims of the shooting.
The police were called around 8:22 p.m. When officers arrived on scene, they found two men and a woman shot dead.
Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith said wusa9 at the crime scene that ‘this gun violence must stop’.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. We know someone in the community knows what’s happening,” she added.
“Please reach out and provide us with all the information you can to ensure our citizens and residents are safe in their communities.”
A day after seven were murdered on August 5 — while fresh chalk was still being drawn on the crime scenes and police tape was rolled out to cordon off areas for investigation — two others were shot dead
Community members are fed up and looking for ways to reduce rampant crime in the democratically run city
A day later — while fresh chalk was still being drawn on crime scenes and police tape was being rolled out to mark off areas for investigation — Antonio Brown, 28, was shot dead at 6 a.m. on the 1200 block of North Capitol Street.
Later that day, another at 3:46 p.m. in the 100 block of Wilmington Place, Kevin James, 32, was killed.
No suspects have been taken into custody and no arrests have been made for these weekend crimes.
On Friday, police were called into two other shooting incidents, for Vincent Harvey, 31, and Denzel Greenwood, 33.
Greenwood was shot at 1:27 a.m. on the 1900 13th Street Northwest block, while Harvey was shot at 6:02 a.m. in what appears to be a car theft according to D.C. police, who are still searching for a missing Ford Fusion that related to his death.
Earlier this week, Diallo Wright, 23, was gunned down on Aug. 1 in the 3100 block of 16th Street, Trevon Tillman, 31, and Richard Silver, 40, on Aug. 2.
And on August 3, Ebone Lavender, 42, and Darnell Gibson were shot dead.