Two suspects are in custody for a shooting near Howard University in Northwest D.C, that left five people hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries on Friday night, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela A. Smith.
Around 8:23 p.m., moments after streets reopened following the daylong Yardfest, police reportedly responded to sounds of gunfire in the 600 block of Howard Place NW, near the university’s main campus – known as ‘the Yard’ – and College of Engineering and Architecture.
The incident countered an otherwise joyous occasion for the thousands gathered to celebrate the institution’s 101st homecoming, which included Friday’s beloved Yardfest and subsequent Alumni Welcome Reception, the latter taking place a block away from the shooting.
“Unbelievable,” Troy Donte’ Prestwood, president of Ward 8 Dems, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in a post showing footage of the crime scene on Oct. 24. “Prayerfully it looks like no deaths. It’s insane that this happened on such a nice day.”
According to his post, Prestwood was leaving the alumni event when he received the 8:35 p.m. campus alert about increased police presence due to reports of open gunfire.
Authorities confirmed two people were arrested in connection with the shooting and three weapons were recovered from the scene. A motive is not known at this time but investigators will be recovering surveillance footage from the area.
While Smith said none of the five victims — three men, one woman, and a juvenile male — were Howard students, one attended Baltimore’s Morgan State University, the opposing team of the Oct. 25 homecoming football game.
“Whether they’re young people or adults with guns, we need folks to put these guns down in our in our city,” said the police chief in a news conference near campus Friday night. “What we do know is that this is Howard’s homecoming, and most of the homecoming festivities around our cities are joyous occasions for our families to come out and enjoy a good time.”
Many social media users point out the fact that Friday’s shooting adds to a slated history of gun violence surrounding historically Black colleges and unversities (HBCUs) homecoming celebrations — including the Oct. 11 events that shook the communities of Mississippi’s Alcorn State and Jackson State University.
Black Enterprise reports two respective instances of gunfire that resulted in one woman’s death and multiple hospilizations, with one child shot at a tailgate held at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
In a series of tweets, one X user, lauding Bison emojis and ‘Howard U ‘14’ in his bio, highlighted the role local crime plays in tainting opportunities and celebratory moments for both students and communities as a whole.
“No Howard students were [among] last nights shooting,” he reminded in one post. “Local violence that which explains exactly why there is no more DC carnival.”
Police said there is no threat to the D.C. community in the wake of Friday’s events, while noting there will be an increased police presence during Saturday’s homecoming festivities.
Further, Smith emphasized the MPD’s commitment in the ongoing investigation, and assured the District of Columbia would not condonce acts of gun violence.
“We’re not going to tolerate individuals coming into our cities with firearms and don’t think for one second that we’re not going to look for you and search for you and find you. And when we do, we will hold you accountable,” she said.
