The family had gathered to celebrate Father’s Day at a residence in Southeast Washington, three generations coming together. DeMarcos Pinckney, 15, begged his mother to stay overnight with his older cousin, according to his godmother.
The teens died later at a hospital, about two hours apart, among the latest victims of gun violence claiming young people and others in the District. Also in Southeast Washington on Sunday night, police said a 6-year-old boy was critically injured and a man was wounded when gunfire struck a vehicle they were in, and a 16-year-old was wounded by a bullet that entered her home. A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot Saturday night.
Police say 11 people younger than 18 have been fatally shot in D.C. this year, exceeding the pace of 2022. Gunfire in the first half of 2023 has killed children ages 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Homicides overall in the District are up 16 percent over this time last year, according to the most recent statistics posted by police on Friday.
Charmaine Jackson, Mason’s cousin and DeMarcos’s godmother, called for the National Guard to be deployed. “They got to do something,” she said in a brief telephone interview, during which DeMarcos’s mother could be heard sobbing in the background.
“They got to get control over what is going on with these children,” said Jackson, 45. “They got to shut it down. Just close the city. Close the city.”
On Wednesday, DeMarcos had completed his freshman year at Digital Pioneers Academy, a charter school in Southeast where students experienced repeated tragedies during the academic year. Two of DeMarcos’s classmates were killed by gunfire in October and November, and in January an English teacher died during a visit to Los Angeles in an altercation with a police officer after a traffic accident.
In a letter sent to parents Monday, the school’s founder and CEO, Mashea M. Ashton, described DeMarcos as a “bright student, athlete, and loyal brother and friend.” Ashton noted his sister, Zionna Pinckney, is in sixth grade at the school.
The violence marred a three-day holiday weekend that included Father’s Day and Juneteenth. Last month, on Mother’s Day, 10-year-old Arianna Davis was fatally struck by bullets while riding in a vehicle with her parents and siblings in Northeast Washington. That case remains unsolved.
“This has got to stop or we won’t exist anymore,” D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) posted on Instagram early Sunday. White, who did not respond to an interview request, represents the neighborhoods where the cousins were shot and the child was injured. “Devastating night,” his post said, along with a broken heart emoji.
Violent crime in the District has spiked 21 percent this year over last, driven in part by robberies, homicides and sexual abuse cases, police statistics show. The city’s homicide count is on a pace to exceed 200 for the third consecutive year; before 2021, D.C. hadn’t recorded 200 killings since 2003.
Assaults with dangerous weapons, which include shootings in which someone is injured, have steadied, though attacks involving juveniles have increased. As of Friday, police said 58 people younger than 18 had been hit by gunfire this year, double from the same period in 2022.
The violence comes as Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) continues her national search for a new police chief after the departure of Robert J. Contee III this month. The mayor’s office did not comment Monday on the violence; police said they were unable to make an official available.
The police union has blamed the violence on changes to policing enacted by the D.C. Council in 2020. The overhaul has been the subject of review in Congress, and the union alleges the changes have made it difficult to hold offenders accountable. Lawmakers deny any connection, pointing to other cities struggling with rising killings and carjackings. Police blame a proliferation of illegal firearms and people willing to use them in minor disputes. Meanwhile, D.C. police staffing is at its lowest in a half-century.
In all, D.C. police said 11 people were struck by gunfire from Friday night through early Monday. About 12:50 a.m. on Saturday, police said 14-year-old Stephon Shreeves of Southeast was fatally shot in the 2600 block of Sheridan Road SE. A family member reached over the weekend did not offer immediate comment.
The shootings on Langston Place occurred Sunday just before 8:45 p.m., after the family gathering. DeMarcos and Mason, who were also best friends, had stepped outside.
Jackson said she and DeMarcos’s mother had headed home by the time the gunfire erupted, and they learned about it from a phone call.
“They were standing outside and someone came shooting,” Jackson said. “We’re not sure if the guy was shooting at them or just shooting.”
Jackson described DeMarcos as “outgoing and funny,” a teen who loved football and basketball and was close with his family. She said he called her often — and for everything. “‘Godmother, where you at? Can I have this?’” she recalled him saying. “‘Godmother, can you pick me up from school? Godmother, can you take me to practice?’”
As Jackson spoke, DeMarcos’s mother could be heard in the background, asking Jackson to take her to see her boy’s body.
“I promise you,” Jackson said. “I’m going to take you to get him.”
Mason’s mother did not wish to speak to a reporter.
The shooting that critically injured the 6-year-old boy occurred a little more than an hour later, at about 9:53 p.m. in the 2200 block of Minnesota Avenue SE. Police said the child and the man are expected to survive. Family members could not be reached Sunday, and the relationship between the two victims could not immediately be determined.
Police are investigating but could not say whether the vehicle or anyone inside had been targeted. No arrests were made. Police said both victims were unconscious when they arrived on the scene.
About 10:40 p.m., police said the 16-year-old was wounded by a bullet they said was fired from outside and struck her inside a residence in the 1900 block of Bruce Place SE, in the Douglass neighborhood.
Police said it does not appear the girl, whose injuries were described as not life-threatening, had been targeted. No arrest was made.
About 5:15 a.m. Monday, police said they responded to the 600 block of I Street NW, in the Chinatown neighborhood, for a report of gunfire. Police said they found a man who had been shot, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police had not yet identified the victim.
Justin Wm. Moyer and Samantha Latson contributed to this report.