Teenage boy shot and killed in Northeast DC, closing Rhode Island Row businesses

A teenage boy was killed, and a man was injured in a shooting at a busy shopping area in Northeast D.C. Monday afternoon, police say.

An officer was on patrol at Rhode Island Row in the 23000 block of Washington Place NE when they heard gunshots at about 4:30 p.m. They went toward the sound and found a teenage boy and a man had been shot, according to a release from the Metropolitan Police Department.

After an initial investigation, detectives determined that the teenager was the victim of a dispute. The man tried to intervene, and the suspects fired their guns.

The two victims were taken to a hospital, where the teenager was pronounced dead. His identity was not immediately released. The man who tried to stop the fight was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Robin Cox, who was in her car in the area when she heard the first shot, thought it was a car backfiring. She quickly learned it wasn’t when three more shots followed and caused people to scatter.

“The one shot was delayed, so much so, that we relaxed,” Cox said.

She got out of her car to look and saw the teenager fall near her car.

“And I went to the Chipotle, and I said, ‘He’s dead!’ And I’m banging on the door,” Cox said.

The businesses along Rhode Island Row were closed while officials investigated. It’s a high-traffic area, yards away from the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station, next to the Brentwood Shopping Center and apartment buildings.

“I never walked in fear but that did more than scare me,” Cox said.

Police are looking for suspects described as three Black males wearing all-black clothing and blue masks, one of the suspects is armed with a black handgun. They drove away from the scene in a black SUV.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 202-727-9099 or text 50411.