Washington, D.C

Family opts to keep bodycam footage private after DC police shooting

Published

3 hours ago

September 5, 2024

Family opts to keep bodycam footage private after DC police shooting

Family of DC shooting victim requests bodycam footage be withheld

D.C. authorities will not release the body camera footage of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a Violence Interrupter over the weekend, as the family of Justin Robinson has requested that the video remain private. FOX 5’s Nana-Sentuo Bonsu has the story.

WASHINGTON – D.C. authorities will not release the body camera footage of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a Violence Interrupter over the weekend, as the family of Justin Robinson has requested that the video remain private.

Under D.C. law, Mayor Muriel Bowser has five days to release body camera footage unless the victim’s family objects.

Robinson’s family has chosen to keep the footage from public view, according to officials.

The decision comes just after community members called for the release of the footage during protests demanding justice for Robinson, who was shot and killed by police in Southeast D.C. on Sunday morning.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers responded to a McDonald’s on the 2500 block of Marion Barry Avenue Southeast around 5:30 a.m. because of a reported crash.

When officers arrived, they found Robinson, 26, unresponsive in his car at the drive-thru, with a gun visible in his lap.

Police called for backup and said that as Robinson began to wake up, they ordered him to put down the weapon. MPD claims Robinson then tried to grab an officer’s gun, prompting two officers to fire their weapons, killing him at the scene.

The officers involved, Vasco Mateus and Brian Gilchrist, have been placed on administrative leave.

Mateus has served with MPD for four years, while Gilchrist has been with the department for two and a half years. Both are assigned to the 7th District.

Jawanna Hardy, founder of Guns Down Friday, initially called for the release of the footage but expressed understanding of the family’s decision to keep it private.

“To see your loved one, no matter what the situation is, on social media or TV, to have to relive that every day—it’s traumatizing,” Hardy said.

In a letter to Council Member Brooke Pinto, chair of the Judiciary Committee, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsay Appiah confirmed the officers’ names and their current administrative status.

Hardy emphasized the community’s frustration and desire for fairness, stating, “Anytime police are involved in a community shooting, there’s always questions. Because who has the right to take a life?”

DC City Council does have the ability to request access to the footage for oversight purposes, though it remains unclear if they will pursue that option.

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Washington, D.C

Construction crews unearth piece of DC history underneath National Mall — by accident – WTOP News

Published

10 hours ago

September 4, 2024

Press Room

Construction crews unearth piece of DC history underneath National Mall — by accident – WTOP News

There is so much history along the National Mall in D.C. that you wouldn’t think to look underground for more of it.

The hole discovered under Jefferson Drive is a drainage cistern built in 1847 that was once used to collect rainwater, which then supplied water to the Smithsonian Castle.
(Courtesy Smithsonian Institution)

Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

There is so much history along the National Mall in D.C. that you wouldn’t think to look underground for more of it.

But construction crews doing renovation work on the Smithsonian Castle along Jefferson Drive just uncovered an artifact, completely by accident.

It dates back to the 1800s.

“This was an unanticipated discovery,” said Carly Bond, the associate director for architectural history and historic preservation for the Smithsonian Institution.

There appeared to be a hole in the ground under the road on Jefferson Drive.

The hole went straight down about 30 feet, and upon further inspection, it looked more like a secret tunnel with brick walls.

“It had a small stone on the top,” Bond said. “Once we moved that piece of stone, we could see that it actually was a brick dome-shaped structure.”

Normally, the Smithsonian’s job is to tell people about history.

In this case, however, it literally dug more of it up.

“It’s pretty much one of the most interesting things you could hope to find under the ground,” said Bond. “It’s beautifully constructed, and it’s in excellent condition.”

According to Bond, the artifact is a “drainage cistern” built in 1847 that was once used to collect rainwater, which then supplied water to the Smithsonian Castle.

“The last time that this probably saw the light of day was 1857,” Bond said. “It’s pretty interesting stuff.”

The Smithsonian is in the process of taking photos and fully documenting the artifact, but the hole must be filled because it poses a danger being right on Jefferson Drive, which is a busy road between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building.

“We will be preserving as much of the cistern as we can by filling it with some kind of reversible fill so that we don’t have that hazard in place underneath the road bed,” said Bond.

That means the uncovered piece of history will be covered once again, though it won’t be a secret any longer.

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Washington, D.C

Biking Outpaces Transit Use in DC

Published

17 hours ago

September 4, 2024

Press Room

Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare, known as CaBi, continues to see a growth in ridership, reports Travis McIntyre for Greater Greater Washington. “CaBi had its highest ridership year ever in 2023, with 4.5 million trips, and is already up 31% through July of this year compared to the same time period in 2023. Further, shared fleet device program operators—including Lime, Lyft, Spin, and Veo—saw a record-breaking 6.7 million trips in DC in 2023 and have seen a 17% increase so far in 2024 through June.”

Essentially, McIntyre writes, biking in the District is practically a new normal. McIntyre projects that D.C. riders will take close to 14 million trips on shared mobility in 2024 — and that doesn’t include rides taken on personal bikes and other mobility devices.

While no official number exists, McIntyre notes it could be as high as 1.9 personal trips for every rental trip. “If CaBi were compared to public transit agencies in the region, it would rank in the middle for total ridership, above MARC and below DASH. If the estimate for total bikes+ trips in DC were similarly compared, it would rank well above every transit agency in the region besides WMATA.”

The point, for McIntyre, is that “Bikes+ are mainstream, widespread, and a major player in our region’s transportation system. But we still don’t have a connected and protected bike lane network in the District, or any of its surrounding jurisdictions.”

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Washington, D.C

DC outdoor pools and select spray parks to stay open until Sept. 22

Published

23 hours ago

September 4, 2024

Press Room

DC outdoor pools and select spray parks to stay open until Sept. 22

D.C. spray parks and select outdoor pools will stay open until Sept. 22, according to a release from Mayor Muriel Bowser, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and the D.C. Department of General Services.

They were originally supposed to close on Labor Day.

Leat Corinne Unger, Cousin of Omer Shem Tov

“The locations that will remain open were selected to be most equitable to residents with one pool on both sides of the city and all DPR spray parks,” said Department of Parks and Recreation Director Thennie Freeman.

Hearst Pool and Oxon Run Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week until Sept. 22. Hearst Pool is closed Thursdays and Oxon Run Pool is closed Mondays.

These spray parks will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 22: