Columbia

Shooting, Fire Break Out on Same Floor of Columbia Heights Apartment Hours Apart

A man was shot and a fire broke out on the third floor of a Columbia Heights apartment building just hours apart on Sunday — And investigators are trying to determine whether the incidents are related.

Police say they first responded about 1:40 a.m. to the apartment on the 3200 block of Hiatt Place NW, near a school, a recreation center and a shopping center with a Target.

In a hallway on the third floor, police found a man who had been shot. He was admitted to a hospital in critical condition, police say.

It was later determined he had been shot inside a nearby apartment.

The public was asked to keep a look out for two black males with tall, slim builds who were wearing gray sweatshirts.

Violent Crime investigators were looking into that shooting hours later when a fire broke out — also on the third floor.

Firefighters saw on arrival smoke pouring out of a third-floor window, video posted by DC Fire and EMS shows. Several residents in distress were rescued from the five-story building.

The fire was extinguished and no one needed EMS transport, but several residents could be displaced, DC Fire and EMS says.

Firefighters haven't released information about what may have sparked the blaze. Investigators are trying to determine whether the shooting and fire are related.

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