WASHINGTON — At least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, were shot when a gunman unleashed a flurry of bullets in the nation’s capital, leading to lockdowns at several schools on Friday. Although the injured had been expected to make a full recovery, the suspect was killed hours later.
Police did not release the suspect’s name, pending notification to his family, after finding the suspect dead inside an apartment at the scene as Metropolitan Police Department officers conducted door-to-door searches of buildings in the area.
An earlier statement by authorities stated they had identified a Virginia man, aged 23, as the person of interest. The man had been “linked to social media postings” that emerged as part of the investigation, said Assistant Metropolitan Police Chief Stuart Emerman.
Police believe the man erected a “sniper-type setup” with a tripod and rifle in his apartment and began firing indiscriminately at people walking below, Chief Robert Contee said. The incident was recorded and made available online via 4chan (an online message board).
A separate incident occurred Friday night when an individual set fire to the Supreme Court. Wynn Bruce (55) from Boulder, Colorado was declared dead by police on Saturday.
The four shooting victims — a 54-year-old man who is a retired police officer, a woman in her 30s, a woman in her mid-60s who was grazed by a bullet, and a 12-year-old girl who was shot in the arm — were all expected to recover, police said. Police advised residents that they should remain in their homes as the police searched for the suspect.
Just before 3:30 pm, the gunfire broke out near Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness St., in Van Ness, Washington. This happened just as parents were collecting their children from Edmund Burke School (a prep school for private colleges).
University of the District of Columbia put students and employees under lockdown.
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