Two women were killed and a 15-year-old was hurt when multiple shooters unleashed a volley of gunfire at a park on Friday night in Shaw, authorities said.
The father of one of the victims is begging the mayor to do more because the violence is out of control, and he believes the National Guard should be called in to help.
Mikeya Ferguson, 19, was with her friends at the playground in the 1300 block of 7th Street NW, just blocks away from the DC Convention Center, when police said multiple gunmen opened fire from the street, firing more than 100 rounds.
Ferguson was killed, along with 18-year-old Cle’shai Perry. Ferguson’s 15-year-old cousin was wounded.
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“I just want the mayor to do something about this, and I just want justice for my baby,” Michael Ferguson, Mikeya’s father, said. “I don’t want the police to sit on their behind and do nothing, ‘cause my baby was a good girl.”
The rounds also ripped through as many as four apartment windows, and left holes in at least one car.
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said a neighborhood beef is behind the gunfire, which was recorded by nearby surveillance cameras.
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“What happened Friday night was horrific, but it is a continuation of the trauma that this neighborhood has experienced for decades, and it just needs to stop. The constituents at that intersection [and] at other areas near there are frightened and scared and they want a change. They want this to end,” ANC commissioner Rachelle Nigro, who represents the area, said.
She questioned whether the millions spent on programs to reduce gun violence are really working.
“The data is important because we want good things for all the residents in this community, for people who have been here for decades or… been here for just a couple of months,” Nigro said.
The neighborhood is rapidly changing, with new condos and apartment buildings sharing space just yards from where the shooting took place.
Residents said they need help, with one telling News4: “Put people in positions where they can help us. Black people need help out here. We are begging the government to make a change for these neighborhoods."
