3 Wounded in Shootout Near Anacostia Metro

Crime scene investigators examine one of the guns used in the shooting at the Anacostia Metro station. (Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)

Officials with the transit union that represents Metro's bus drivers said they have been asking for more police protection at the Anacostia Station and other troubled areas for about a year. There are 10 Metro Transit Police officers who are supposed to protect 2,200 drivers, said Roland Jeter, first vice president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689.

About half of the buses have security cameras, and many have defective emergency buttons, which drivers use to call for help, he said.

"This should be a wake-up call to transit [officials] and to politicians to do something about security," Jeter said. "You can't patch it with a Band-Aid and hope it will go away."

Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said the transit agency is assessing its policing initiatives to see whether areas need more attention. "It's unfortunate," Asato said of yesterday's shooting. "If there's any good news, it's that his injuries weren't very serious."

The crime scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape for much of the afternoon. Officers arrived in cars, on motorcycles, on foot and on a Segway.

About a dozen Metro workers were also at the scene, rerouting car and bus traffic.

"It's bad," said Jamal Hughes, 17, as he passed through the area. "I've been here since I was little, and there are always lots of shootings. I've seen a couple of shootings, but it's usually at night or early in the morning, not at this time."

Staff writers Petula Dvorak and Lena H. Sun contributed to this report.