As of March 16, Washington, D.C.’s homicide count stood at 21 for the year, just one shy of last year’s 22 deaths in the same span.
A recent burst of violence in Southeast D.C. added to the city’s battle with crime. Two men were killed over the weekend of March 10 and 11 in separate incidents.
Crime Scene – Graphic: AP
Southeast resident Tyrone Johnson, 24, was fatally shot in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE on the morning of March 10, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officials received a call for a shooting in an alley near The Grays on Pennsylvania Apartments. Police found Johnson lying on the ground unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Johnson was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
Another Southeast man, 51-year-old Dennis Lee Wise, was fatally stabbed on March 11 at approximately 2:17 a.m. in the 1800 block of Bruce Place, SE, according to police. Police said Wise was found inside a residence lying face down on a bed unconscious. He had been stabbed after an argument turned physical, and died at the scene.
MPD spokesperson Karimah Bilal said information regarding the suspects involved in the weekend slayings is currently unavailable.
“As always we ask the public for their assistance,” she said. The department is offering up to $25,000 for information that leads to the successful closing of a homicide case.
Overall crime in D.C. is up four percent, according to police. Thefts lead the increase; a total of 2,712 thefts have been reported this year, a 15 percent jump from 2,368 occurrences during the same time a year ago.