A violent weekend in the District left six people dead in shootings in five different neighborhoods in a span of just 30 hours.
Police still have no motives or suspects in these killings, which they don’t believe are related to each other. Police are bracing for the possibility of retaliation for some of these killings, which is often the case.
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Before 10 p.m. Friday, police found 28-year-old Yisa Jeffcoat was shot to death in the 1600 block of W Street SE. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
About two hours later, police found 41-year-old Eugene Miller, of Brandywine, Maryland, suffering from gunshot wounds in the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE. He died at the scene.
Saturday afternoon, two shootings left three men dead.
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Police said two men were found shot in the 1700 block of Irving Street in the Brookland neighborhood about 2 p.m. One man was found in the street; the other was found in a yard. They were both found unconscious and not breathing, officials said.
"It’s a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear. You know, some of those bullets went into people’s homes, innocent people’s homes.”
Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., interim deputy mayor of public safety and justice
Minutes later, D.C. police and D.C. fire responded to a shooting in the 4500 block of Quarles Street in the Kenilworth neighborhood. A civilian drove the victim to a hospital to be treated for "critical life-threatening injuries," officials said.
Then just before 3 a.m. Sunday, police found 31-year-old Noelle Wilson suffering from gunshot wounds in the 2300 block of Green Street SE. She died at the scene.
The District has recorded 157 murders so far in 2020 compared to 133 this time last year.
Black communities especially hard hit by COVID-19, homicides
“It’s of great concern that we have any homicide, but when we have so many over a short period of time, it’s of great concern that this violence is happening in our city,” said Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., interim deputy mayor of public safety and justice.
Mitchell also serves as the Districts chief medical examiner, so he reviews every death the District has suffered, and this year there have been so many, particularly in African American communities.
“It’s difficult, right?” Mitchell said. “This is hard, when we think about our families that are dying from COVID, older Black men and women, and then now it continues to our young to middle-aged Black men dying from violence, it’s a lot for a community to handle. It’s a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear. You know, some of those bullets went into people’s homes, innocent people’s homes.”
Police hope to have more information on suspects soon, Mitchell said. For now, these neighborhoods will be seeing more police on patrol as they brace for more violence.
Violence interrupters are working to prevent retaliation for these homicides, Mitchell said.
“When you see the yellow tape, you know something horrible has happened,” one resident said. “And you live across the street from something horrible. What do you do tomorrow?”
The District recorded 166 murders for all of 2019 and 160 in 2018.
