At 170, Homicides Pass Total for Last Year

Other Gun Crimes Also Seem to Be Up

A 46-year-old man was fatally shot in Southeast Washington yesterday in the city's 170th homicide of the year, surpassing the total for all of last year.

No information was available about any suspect or motive in yesterday's killing, which occurred before dawn in the 4300 block of Wheeler Road, near the border with Prince George's County.

But it underscored an upsurge in violence, including robberies and armed assaults, that has challenged D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.

In another incident of violence yesterday, a man was shot and wounded after dark in Columbia Heights. He had been shot in the same neighborhood less than a month ago, according to a D.C. Council member.

Although the number of homicides is already more than last year's 169, that figure was the smallest in the city in 21 years.

With 35 days left in the year, this year's pace remains below 2005 and 2004, when the totals were 196 and 198, respectively.

Yesterday's killing was the first in the city in more than a week; none had been reported since Nov. 17.

The man killed yesterday was identified as a resident of the Lorton area of Fairfax County. Police said they were withholding his name until his relatives could be notified.

It was not clear last night what the man was doing when he was shot.

Shortly after being hit, the victim was found blocks away in Prince George's County. He was slumped over the wheel of a car. At first it was thought he had been injured in a crash, but high-tech equipment and investigators in the city and county helped to piece together what had happened.

Authorities said the shooting occurred sometime between 4 and 4:30 a.m.

Shot-detection equipment, which has been installed in some parts of the city, apparently picked up the sounds of the shots and provided information on their location, according to a law enforcement source.