Anxious Residents Look to Lanier

D.C. police are investigating what they described as a surge in crime in Northwest's Petworth neighborhood after one man was found fatally shot and a drive-by shooting injured two people last weekend. A fusillade of bullets damaged cars in a third incident, officials said, but no one was injured.

More than 50 residents attended a community meeting Wednesday night, during which Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and D.C. Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) talked about their response to the violence and how residents can help police and public officials in their efforts. Lanier emphasized the importance of giving the police tips, no matter how small they might seem.

"Any new activity you see in your neighborhood, even if it's not that big to you, you have to get that information to us," Lanier said. "We want to get ahead of a new pattern before it becomes a crime."

Keith Jarrell, a neighborhood activist who convened the public forum at the 4th District police headquarters, said he wanted to move quickly to get public officials and residents to respond.

"Everyone in the city is tired of gun violence," Jarrell told the group, and several audience members nodded in agreement. "How do we go about reducing gunshots and drugs in our neighborhood?"

The trouble started Friday about 11:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of Marlboro Place when two unidentified males standing in a group were hit by gunshots fired into the crowd from a car going by. Both victims survived. Police said they were looking for six males wearing hooded sweat shirts and bluejeans.

About 9 p.m. Saturday, an unidentified man was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in the 4500 block of Georgia Avenue NW.

The next evening, several parked cars in the 800 block of Crittenden Street were damaged when at least two people exchanged fire, police said. Laura Loessner, 40, said she and her partner, Jessica Lux, 35, were walking their dog, Maya, when they heard shots.

Loessner, a clinical social worker who has lived in the neighborhood for five years, said nothing like that had happened before. She went to the meeting looking for specific advice.

"What can we do? What should we look for?" Loessner asked the officials.

Lt. Wilfredo Manlapaz, a homicide detective, said that the slain man had ties to a neighborhood group that calls itself the Crittenden Crew and that police were looking into possible connections among that group to the other incidents.

Loessner said the meeting was helpful, especially to learn that police send plainclothes officers into an area, but she wanted more details on the possible gang activity.

"Are there certain tags spray-painted on things that I should look for?" she asked. "I want to be more than just one more oblivious person walking."