Public Safety Meeting Comes in Wake of Early Morning Shooting Near Maury School

Public Safety Meeting Comes in Wake of Early Morning Shooting Outside of Maury School

By Larry Janezich

Posted September 2, 2022

A long-planned portion of ANC6A’s September meeting that will focus on public safety has taken on new urgency in the wake of recent crimes in the area.  The community presentation portion of  the September 8 meeting will feature CM Charles Allen and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) representatives, including Executive Assistant Chief Benedict according to an email distributed by 6A Chair Amber Gove.

Residents will want to know more about a 2:45am shooting last Thursday in the 200 block of Tennessee Avenue, NE,  acrpss the triangle park facing the entrance to Maury Elementary School.  So far, according to Gove, what is known is that a victim of the shooting was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.  One resident post to a listserv cited officers on the scene who said that roughly 20 shots were fired.  Chair Gove said that indications are that the victim was known to and targeted by the shooter.  A blue sedan was reported to have fled the scene, heading north on 13^th Street.  MPD is asking residents to share video from security cameras. 

Gove reported that hours before the shooting took place, she joined CM Allen and MPD along with representatives from the Mayor’s office and business owners for a public safety walk on H Street, which has seen several carjackings and shootings in recent days.  Last Sunday, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson suffered several gunshot wounds in an attempted robbery around 6pm in the 1000 block of H Street, NE.  Robinson was hospitalized and is recovering.

Strategies to improve public safety and reduce violent crime have been debated and discussed, and some of them implemented.  Despite these efforts, a spate in serious crimes frustrates and unsettles many in the community.   

In mid-July, MPD Assistant Chief Andre Wright briefed ANC6A on MPD efforts to tackle high crime areas, one of which includes H Street, NE.  He said there are three prongs to the campaign against violent crime campaign, one of which is “the Night Life Initiative” – a doubling down on addressing violence in the entertainment and night life areas, such as the H Street Corridor from 3rd Street to Benning Road.  A pilot program this summer emphasized reducing robberies, thefts from autos, ABRA violations, addressing ATVs, and enforcing traffic and parking regulations on weekends.  The two other prongs are:  1) a homicide reduction plan targeting the four most violent districts, including the 6th and 7th Districts where 60% of the homicides occur; and 2) a program focusing specifically on reducing robberies. 

After the walk on Wednesday, MPD indicated additional officers would be deployed to H Street, NE, as well as more overnight units – which sounds like doubling down on the same strategy. 

ANC6A’s September meeting is scheduled for next Thursday at 7:00pm.  The link to join the meeting will be posted to ANC6A.org/agendas the night before the meeting.