A CNN public relations executive posted security camera footage appearing to show a drive-by shooting in his Washington DC suburban neighbourhood.

Matt Dornic, the network’s head of strategic communications, posted the video to his Twitter account with the caption: "Here’s a video of me dodging random gunfire in NW DC last night at 8.42pm. This is unacceptable."

The footage from a neighbour’s security camera shows Mr Dornic walking along the sidewalk as a car drives past. Nine or 10 gunfire-sounding noises can be heard as the man darts away from the street and into an alley.

Mr Dornic told The Independent that police closed the block in the Bloomingdale-Ledroit Park neighbourhood for two hours on Monday, 11 October.

"As of last night there was a working theory that the gunfire was potentially coming from someone on foot, or another car, towards the car driving past me," Mr Dornic said.

"Once I realized what it was, I turned around and ran," he added.

A spokesperson for Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department confirmed reports of gunfire in the neighbourhood at about 8.45 pm.

The residential neighbourhood is about two miles from the US Capitol. Mr Dornic was questioned on Twitter if the shooting was "unacceptable" because it happened in his neighbourhood in the city’s northwest.

"No it’s unacceptable bc no one should be terrified to walk down the street," he replied.

The video has been seen almost 400,000 times. Mr Dornic said he wanted to draw attention to crime in the city from his firsthand account.