6 Shootings in 2 Hours Stir Worries About Violence

11 People Are Injured In What D.C. Police Call An 'Unusual' Outbreak

Eleven people were wounded in six shootings east of the Anacostia River during a two-hour span late Thursday and early yesterday, including one episode in which four people were shot, D.C. police said.

Police raced from crime scene to crime scene, finding 10 men and one woman who had been struck in shootings between 10:45 p.m. Thursday and 12:50 a.m. yesterday. Authorities said all victims are expected to survive.

"This is a reminder that D.C. is a violent city," said Kristopher Baumann, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Committee. "And that violence is going to remain out there until we get a real handle on crime in this city."

In a statement, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier called the shootings unacceptable; she said police have put in place measures that include extending the hours of patrols in the areas involved and additional personnel on those patrols. She said the department was working with federal agencies "to increase our enforcement capabilities." Police also said backlogged warrants were being served.

Several of the shootings were drive-bys that left bullet holes in windows and outdoor appliances. One bullet crashed into a house and nearly hit a man and his wife who were watching a movie.

Police officials said that the paroxysm of violence was "very unusual" and that they had no indication that the shootings were related. Investigators had made no arrests last night.

"We just need to get to the bottom of what happened," said Cmdr. Robert Contee, head of the 6th District, where three of the victims were shot.

The shootings have some people concerned about the level of violence this summer and Lanier's plans to fight it. There have been fewer shootings so far this year than at this point in 2006, but the city has had 99 homicides, slightly more than at this time last year.

"The amount of violence is extreme," said D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who said he would refrain from judging Lanier's crime-fighting plan after one violence-filled night. Lanier has initiated a plan that is specific to each area of the city. Her spokeswoman, Traci Hughes, said, "Overall, the summer crime initiative has been working."

Most of the victims were men in their teens and early 20s. Police did not release any names because the victims are witnesses. The gunfire began about 10:45 p.m. in the 4400 block of Ponds Street NE, a residential area near the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, when someone in a car sprayed more than 15 bullets, hitting two teenagers in the leg.

About a half-hour later, shots were fired in the 600 block of Raleigh Place SE, striking a 19-year-old in the back.

At 11:30 p.m., authorities were called to the 2700 block of Robinson Place SE after a drive-by shooting left two men, ages 30 and 18, with leg wounds, officials said.