A man was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, just steps away from an elementary school track meet, sending dozens of children and parents scrambling for safety and prompting an urgent manhunt for the suspects.
Police say the shooting happened around 2 p.m. near the former Spingarn High School, where the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association was hosting its elementary school track and field championships.
A man was walking on the sidewalk in the 800 block of 26th Street NE when three men exited a vehicle and opened fire. The man died at the scene. His name has not been released.
The suspects left the area in a car, which was later found burned in the Fort Lincoln neighborhood.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests have been made in this case.
“We’re going to do everything we can to find out who these individuals are and we’re going to hold them accountable,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a news conference Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. “No child should ever have to experience what was experienced today. Today’s incident is completely unacceptable, during an elementary school track meet.”
Student athlete Erin Schmidt, 11, initially mistook the gunshots for a starting pistol test until she noticed the field was empty.
“After a couple more, my mom and everybody, like all of the adults that were there, were yelling ‘Get down!” Schmidt told the Post, adding, "It’s a bummer because I really wanted to run and, like, this was the last meet of the year.”
Three nearby schools, Phelps High School, J.O. Wilson Elementary School and Browne Education Campus, were placed on alert status following the shooting.
School officials confirmed that all students were safe and accounted for. The track meet was canceled, and transportation was arranged to return students to their schools.
Police urge anyone with information about the shooting near the track meet to come forward. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.
