Crime Scene Stretches Into Home's Back Yard

Shot Man Dragged Himself Blocks Before Dying

Jue Plummer stepped out the back door of his home in Southeast Washington to check on his motorcycle yesterday morning and got a grim surprise: A stranger lay sprawled in the yard, dead.

Thinking that the man was a crack-addicted homeless person who had fallen asleep just outside the door, Plummer, 20, asked his mother, "Where's the baseball bat?" That's when he noticed that the man's eyes were rolled back and his leg was bleeding.

"I couldn't believe it," Plummer said. "I looked at it, then I didn't want to look at it anymore."

Assistant D.C. Police Chief Diane Groomes said officials suspect that the victim, an African American in his 20s, had been fatally shot several hours earlier in the 700 block of Atlantic Street and managed to drag himself several blocks to Plummer's home, in the 500 block of Foxhall Place, before collapsing.

Police are investigating whether another young man hospitalized with gunshot wounds early yesterday was injured during the same shooting.

"It appears that all this stems from one event," Groomes said. "With the daylight hours, we're finding a lot of shell casings, and we're trying to locate the blood spatter. But the crime scene is taking a while to process because it's so big. It's a two-to-four block area, so it's like pulling teeth to get everything connected."

Groomes said sound sensors in the area indicate that the shots were fired about 4:30 a.m. Officers rushed to the scene, saw people running away and recovered several weapons. But they found no victims and made no arrests.

About an hour later, police received word that a man had arrived at Greater Southeast Community Hospital with serious injuries from three gunshot wounds. Groomes said the man is now in stable condition. He was not identified because he is considered a witness.

Plummer made his discovery about 9:30 a.m. Police declined to release the victim's name because his next of kin had not been notified.

Nobody in Plummer's home heard gunshots or screams during the night, Plummer's father, Robert Proctor, said. He said he was watching television at 4 a.m. because he was having trouble sleeping.

Ronnie Plummer, Jue Plummer's mother, said she was shaken but still feels the street is safe.

"Everywhere you go, there's going to be a crime. I guess people just love misery," she said.

Police are urging anyone with information to call their toll-free tip line at 888-919-CRIME or send a text message to 50411.