A suspect has been charged in the shooting death of a military veteran in a Northeast D.C. neighborhood.
Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the shooting at 15th and D streets within seconds about 5:30 p.m. Friday. The officers were patrolling the area because of a significant increase in gun violence in the area, including the wounding of a 9-year-old girl a week ago.
Officers found 32-year-old Walter Leon Baylor suffering from a gunshot wound and medics took Baylor to a hospital, where he died.
Police arrested 25-year-old Rodney Wayne Kinard, of Northeast D.C., on Friday and charged him with second-degree murder while armed.
Baylor's family said they have no idea why he was shot.
“My nephew did nothing to deserve this,” said a man who said he is the victim’s uncle.
In the past two weeks, eight people were shot in five incidents in the area.
Two D.C. residents were killed: 25-year-old Marquiawn Williams, who was shot about 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the 1800 block of Benning Road NE, and 27-year-old Wilbert Brooks, who shot just after midnight Sunday in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE. No arrests have been made in either homicide.
A week ago, a 9-year-old girl was injured in a shooting about 9:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the 1600 block of E Street NE. No arrests have been made.
And two weeks ago, on Sept. 21 about 11:10 p.m., four people were shot in the 1800 block of Benning Road NE. The victims survived. Police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Farmer of D.C. and an unidentified 26-year-old man.
