Three Officers Shot in Southeast Washington D.C.; Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  The District of Columbia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued a statement following a shooting in Southeast Washington D.C. earlier this morning, where three police officers were shot and wounded while serving an arrest warrant. There remains an active barricade situation and the shooting led to an alert status on several nearby elementary schools.  

“Any instance of gun violence in our communities is tragic and preventable,” said Fernando Smith, an Everytown Survivor Fellow and volunteer Co-Lead with the District of Columbia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Over the past year, our communities have been ravaged by gun violence and this tragic incident is yet another reminder that we need real solutions to keep guns off of our streets and keep our communities safe, including sustained funding for and consistent collaboration with critical community violence intervention programs in the district.”

Today’s shooting is part of a spike in gun violence in Washington D.C., which had the largest number of homicides in 2023 over the past two decades. According to MPD data, there have already been 14 gun homicides so far this year. District lawmakers have been advancing an omnibus public safety bill to attempt to address this crisis, but a critical part of addressing gun violence is through partnership with community violence intervention programs. D.C.’s lawmakers should prioritize robust support for D.C.’s growing network of violence interrupters, giving them the resources they need to prevent cycles of gun violence. 

While there is no one solution to end gun violence, community violence intervention programs play a key role in making cities safer. By utilizing a public health model, community-led programs have been shown to reduce gun violence in some of the most heavily impacted neighborhoods. With steady funding, programmatic evaluations, and support from community stakeholders, community violence intervention programs in D.C. have great potential to provide lifesaving services to at-risk communities and prevent gun violence on our streets and in our neighborhoods. 

In an average year, 155 people die by guns in the District of Columbia and another 885 are wounded. 92% of gun deaths in the District of Columbia are by firearm homicide. Gun violence costs the District of Columbia $2.0 billion each year, of which $106.4 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about firearm deaths in the District of Columbia can be found here.