Washington Informer
D.C. Shooting Shakes Up Howard University Homecoming
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER – Two suspects are in custody after a shooting near Howard University that left five people hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. None of the victims were Howard students; one attended Morgan State. Three weapons were recovered, and police say there is no ongoing threat.
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Two suspects are in custody for a shooting near Howard University in Northwest D.C. that left five people hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries on Friday night, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela A. Smith.
Around 8:23pm, moments after streets reopened following the daylong Yardfest, police reportedly responded to sounds of gunfire in the 600 block of Howard Place NW, near the university’s main campus—known as ‘the Yard’—and the College of Engineering and Architecture.
“Unbelievable,” Troy Donte’ Prestwood, president of Ward 8 Dems, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in a post showing footage of the crime scene on Oct. 24. “Prayerfully it looks like no deaths. It’s insane that this happened on such a nice day.”
According to his post, Prestwood was leaving the alumni event when he received the 8:35pm campus alert about increased police presence due to reports of open gunfire.
Authorities confirmed two people were arrested in connection with the shooting, and three weapons were recovered from the scene. A motive is not yet known, but investigators will be recovering surveillance footage from the area.
While Smith said none of the five victims—three men, one woman, and a juvenile male—were Howard students, one attended Baltimore’s Morgan State University, the opposing team of the Oct. 25 homecoming football game.
“Whether they’re young people or adults with guns, we need folks to put these guns down in our city,” said the police chief at a news conference near campus Friday night. “What we do know is that this is Howard’s homecoming, and most of the homecoming festivities around our cities are joyous occasions for our families to come out and enjoy a good time.”
Many social media users point out the fact that Friday’s shooting adds to a stated history of gun violence surrounding historically Black colleges and universities’ (HBCUs) homecoming celebrations—including the Oct. 11 events that shook the communities of Mississippi’s Alcorn State and Jackson State University.
Black Enterprise reports two respective instances of gunfire that resulted in one woman’s death and multiple hospitalizations, with one child shot at a tailgate held at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
In a series of tweets, one X user, lauding Bison emojis and ‘Howard U ‘14’ in his bio, highlighted the role local crime plays in tainting opportunities and celebratory moments for both students and communities as a whole.
“No Howard students were [among] last night’s shooting,” he reminded in one post. “Local violence that which explains exactly why there is no more DC carnival.”
Police said there is no threat to the D.C. community in the wake of Friday’s events, while noting there will be an increased police presence during Saturday’s homecoming festivities.
Further, Smith emphasized the MPD’s commitment to the ongoing investigation and assured the District of Columbia would not condone acts of gun violence.
“We’re not going to tolerate individuals coming into our cities with firearms, and don’t think for one second that we’re not going to look for you and search for you and find you. And when we do, we will hold you accountable,” she said.
Jada Ingleton is a Comcast Digital Equity Local Voices Lab contributing fellow through the Washington Informer. Born and raised in South Florida, she recently graduated from Howard University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and specialized in psychology. Jada’s passion for writing and storytelling has allowed her to reach greater heights and to see the world from a new lens. Since the foundation of her journalistic pursuits is a love for creative writing, Jada aspires to be the founder of a magazine publication. Her long-term goals include being an author and showrunner. [email protected]
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