Barricade situation on 15th Street NW prompts shelter-in-place order
Multiple people were shot in northwest Washington DC on the morning of Thursday, 12 November, police said, prompting what the department described as a barricade situation and a shelter-in-place order near the scene in the Logan Circle neighborhood.
A spokesperson for the Washington DC police department told the Guardian in a brief phone call on Thursday morning that the scene was “still active”. The spokesperson said no further details were immediately available.
In a social media post at about 8.20am ET, the DC police department said officers were on the scene responding to an “active shooting in the area of 15th and P Street, Northwest”. The department said its emergency response team was also at the scene and urged the public to avoid the area.
In a separate statement at 9.21am ET, the department said the incident had “resulted in a barricade situation in the 1500 block of 15th Street, Northwest”. “Please avoid the area as we work to resolve the incident,” the statement said.
The Metropolitan Police Department issued a shelter-in-place order for people in the immediate vicinity of the 1500 block of 15th Street NW, urging residents to “go inside to the nearest building, stay away from windows and remain indoors until further notice”.
Local council member Brooke Pinto said in a social media post on Thursday morning that there had been a shooting “at and outside Vida fitness this morning in Logan Circle”. “Do not go to this area,” Pinto said. “Police looking for suspect.”
A reporter for the Washington Sun spoke with a witness who was inside the gym and, according to the reporter’s account, “heard one gunshot and saw one person down in the gym itself, followed by more shots”. The witness said the gym “cleared out” and that people ran from the scene with their “arms raised” as police yelled to clear out.
Live broadcasts from the area showed a heavy police presence, dozens of police vehicles and helicopters overhead. Photographs of the response showed local law enforcement and National Guard personnel at the scene.
The accounts of where the shots were fired differed. A Vida Fitness manager told ABC7 News that shots were fired outside the business, while the witness described a gunshot inside the gym. The station reported that, as of 9am local time, the business was still under lockdown, with police inside the building. The manager said they felt safe with police inside and that the gym would be closed for the rest of the day.
Several schools in the area were on lockdown on Thursday morning.
Police had not said how many people were shot or described their conditions. The department said only that no further details were immediately available as officers worked to resolve the incident.