Washington, D.C
Back-to-back fatal shootings in DC leave two men dead
Man killed in broad daylight shooting in northeast DC
WASHINGTON – Two men were gunned down in separate shootings in Washington, D.C., Monday morning, less than five minutes apart.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the first incident occurred just before 10 a.m. on Eastern Avenue with the second shooting happening a few minutes later on Southern Avenue, approximately four miles away.
In both cases, police confirmed that a man was killed, and the suspects remain at large.
“We do not have a lot of information on what happened [on Eastern Avenue],” said MPD Chief Pamela Smith. “As I was coming here, the team is working diligently to provide an update on what has occurred on the Southern Avenue part of D.C.”
Police have indicated that the shootings do not appear to be connected or random, but there are no suspect descriptions available at this time.
These two killings, based on police records, bring the total number of homicides in the District of Columbia to 152 for the year, marking a 31% decrease from the 217 homicides reported at this time last year.
The names and ages of the victims have not yet been released, but officials expect to provide that information before the day is over.
Despite the proximity of both incidents to Prince George’s County, D.C. police are leading the investigations.
Washington, D.C
Jeff Landry headed to D.C. for talks on Greenland as his invitation to the island’s dog sledding race is in peril
Washington, D.C
Suspected National Guard shooter due back in court on two new charges
WASHINGTON – A deadly shooting case with ties to the National Guard and the White House is heading back to court, and prosecutors have now expanded the charges.
FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh reports this is one of the District’s highest profile cases, and the man accused in the ambush is expected to appear before a judge on Thursday.
What we know:
Prosecutors have added two new counts, and the hearing could help shape the direction of the case as it moves forward in federal court.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of opening fire on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House the day before Thanksgiving. Prosecutors have now added two counts of assault with intent to kill, tied to the National Guard member who tackled and subdued him after the shooting.
READ MORE: Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan national accused of shooting 2 National Guard in DC
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was killed. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was critically injured and continues to recover.
Lakanwal now faces first degree murder while armed, multiple assault charges, and several weapons offenses. Federal prosecutors say they are aggressively pursuing the case and note that nothing is off the table, including whether to seek the death penalty, one reason the case is now being handled at the federal level.
The indictment includes nine criminal counts. Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges.
READ MORE: Two new charges for alleged gunman in National Guard shooting
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.
Washington, D.C
D.C. set to receive $200M in federal funds
The House and Senate appropriations committees included almost $200 million in the first draft of an upcoming appropriations bill, which, if approved by Congress, would fund D.C. programs including school choice, college tuition, HIV prevention, clean rivers and police overtime.
If approved, $90 million would reimburse the District government for the cost of providing police and other support at events like large protests, state funerals and the upcoming 250 birthday celebration of the country.
While the Bowser administration is happy with the funding, the mayor sent a letter to Congress asking for an additional $10 million to offset the added costs to D.C. taxpayers for the federal surge, writing, “This higher funding level is also essential to support the ongoing federal law enforcement surge and the associated increased costs to the Metropolitan Police Department, including MPD’s work to coordinate with federal agencies, facilitate National Guard deployments, and sustain police overtime required to support the surge.”
There is also $40 million to fund D.C. tuition assistance grants, which help offset the cost of college tuition for D.C. high school grads. If approved, the funds would allow D.C. to increase the amount students could qualify for each year from $10,000 to $15,000 and boost the lifetime cap from $50,000 to $75,000.
“Which is a huge amount of money for families, and that’s going to help us help more of our residents on their pathway to getting degrees,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser’s chief of staff, Tomas Talamante.
Schools would benefit, too.
“We were able to get 17.5 for D.C. Public Schools and 17.5 million for D.C. public charter schools, as well as the 17.5 million that goes to the voucher program,” Talamante said. “We also were able to get money for HIV/AIDS prevention, about $4 million that we were able to secure for HIV/AIDS prevention. We were also able to secure $8 million for DC Water, which their clean rivers project is the huge tunnel-boring system that helps keep the Anacostia and our waterways clean.”
The legislation includes riders placing restrictions on recreational cannabis, and Congress could add other riders, including changes like doing away with cashless bail or photo traffic enforcement in the District.
The legislation still must go through the House Rules Committee before a full House vote.
-
Montana4 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Technology1 week agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Delaware6 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX6 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Education1 week agoVideo: This Organizer Reclaims Counter Space
-
Virginia5 days agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
-
Iowa1 week agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star