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Three D.C. police officers were shot and a shooter continues to fire gunshots from a home in Southeast D.C. on Wednesday, police say.
The officers were serving an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals when someone opened fire, police said.
The shooting suspect remains barricaded in the house and continues to shoot at police, hours after law enforcement shut down several city blocks, forcing multiple schools into lockdown.
Young children could be seen getting police escorts into their school on Valentine’s Day.
“This remains an active situation, and the individual has continued to fire from that location,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference at 10:15 a.m.
“We are asking everyone to please stay out of this location until we are able to apprehend the suspect,” the police chief said.
Gunfire as officers tried to serve a warrant
Officers went to a home in the 5000 block of Hanna Place SE, near Benning Road and the Maryland border, at about 7:30 a.m. to execute an arrest warrant, police said.
Officers tried to make contact with someone inside the home, but they refused to come outside, police said.
“As officers attempted to gain entry, the individual opened fire on them,” a statement from police said.
A doorbell camera from a home nearby captured the sound of a barrage of gunfire, with at least 25 shots fired.
The three officers who were shot are expected to survive, D.C. police confirmed. One officer was shot in the hand. Another was shot in the foot or leg, Smith said.
One officer was struck twice, but his ballistic gear stopped the bullets, D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton said.
A fourth officer was injured but was not shot, sources told News4.
Some officers were rushed to a hospital in police vehicles instead of ambulances, sources said. News4 saw several police cars outside MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where the four officers were being treated.
Police are still trying to learn the identity of the shooting suspect. It’s unclear if anyone else is inside the home. There may be dogs in the house, Smith said.
Negotiators are speaking with the suspect, Smith said.
A Humane Rescue Alliance employee was with police as they tried to serve the warrant and was not hurt, the group said. They conveyed their support for police.
“Our thoughts are with our partners at MPD who are being treated in the hospital and we are wishing them all the best in their recovery. We could not fulfill our mission without them. We are also concerned for the safety of the officers who remain on scene, the community members who continue to be affected, and the animals whom we were there to protect,” HRA said in a statement.
It’s unclear if anyone else was injured.
A large black vehicle resembling an armored truck was seen driving into the cordoned-off area.
Police asked members of the media to stay far from the scene.
Three D.C. officers were shot while serving a warrant for animal cruelty in Southeast, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said. News4 has special breaking coverage on the barricade situation.
Nearby schools locked down amid gunfire
Two nearby schools — Garfield Elementary School on H Street SE and Plummer Elementary School on Texas Avenue SE — were placed on lockdown, D.C. Public Schools officials said.
Officials in uniforms were seen shuttling children into a KIPP charter school near 46th Place and Benning Road SE. A swarm of police cars and emergency vehicles were seen near the doors to the school.
“This is a magnitude of police cars I’ve never seen in my life,” one mother said.
“I’m outraged because my son goes right here to this school. I was coming to take him to school and wasn’t able to get through and I’m just like … I’m shocked. I’m really shocked,” another mother said.
DC police chief, police union head point fingers at DC Council
D.C.’s police chief and the head of the police union both called for action from the D.C. Council on crime.
The council gave initial approval last week to a comprehensive crime bill, known as Secure DC, that would increase penalties for gun crimes. For instance, firing a gun in public would be a felony.
“The penalties for folks that are just discharging firearms who do not have a right to do that is, is very challenging for us,” Smith said. “So, I’m asking that we will certainly do everything we can to pass Secure DC, especially the portion of that bill where we need to increase the penalties for firearms.”
The police union chairman called for more officers to be hired.
“We’re short 500 police officers, which is why we can’t send officers to these scenes to the proper number, to handle these situations, and it puts us all in danger, puts citizens in danger, puts police officers in danger,” Pemberton said. “This is an unfortunate and tragic example of what the city council thinks of police officers, and until the citizens rise up and tell city council to act normal and repeal some of these policies, I don’t think we’re going to see an end to this.”
It wasn’t immediately clear, though, how legislative action might have prevented or affected the crime Wednesday.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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