One Man Arrested, 2nd Sought In Shooting That Wounded 7

D.C. police charged a man yesterday with shooting into a crowd and wounding seven people at a Northeast Washington housing complex, saying the attack last month was sparked by a conflict in the neighborhood.

The suspect, Marquette Dugar, is from the 600 block of Edgewood Street NE, the same block where the shooting took place late July 28, police said. All of the victims, including a 3-year-old girl, have been released from the hospital and are expected to survive.

Dugar, 23, turned himself in at 10:20 a.m. yesterday and was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. He was jailed pending a hearing today in D.C. Superior Court. Police provided no details about the dispute that they said led to the shooting.

Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said authorities are looking for a second man who they believe also took part in the gunfire. Police have said that one or two gunmen on foot opened fire on the group of adults and children outside an apartment building at the Edgewood Terrace complex. Four adults and three children were hit.

Lanier and others declined to say whether there is an ongoing rivalry within the neighborhood, though residents say they hear gunfire most nights.

The night before the shooting, there was so much gunplay in Edgewood Terrace that "it was like Iraq," said Karlyn Jones, 52, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1999. Asked how often she hears bullets, Jones replied, "If I get one free night, I'm doing good."

Cmdr. Jennifer Greene, who heads the 5th Police District, said residents in the housing complex tend to identify themselves by which building they live in -- 601 or 611 Edgewood St. But she said she has not seen prolonged internal tension between them.

"There's no long-standing beefing between 601 and 611," Greene said.

Dugar was arrested three days after a community gathering at which police urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. Police and residents talked about establishing a curfew, and authorities said the apartment complex has hired armed security guards to supplement police.

In response to the shootings, Lanier has increased patrols in the area, coinciding with her third summertime "All Hands on Deck" initiative, in which all 3,300 sworn officers were to work street patrols yesterday and today.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said he was pleased to see the community work with police to attain an arrest.

"Anytime you have somebody who will shoot into a crowd when they know young people are there, it is an extremely serious problem," Fenty said.

Staff writer Henri E. Cauvin contributed to this report.