6 murders in 3 days brings DC close to surpassing 2017's homicide count

Image 1 of 2

Over the course of three days, six people were killed in the District, including four in Southeast D.C., bringing the number of homicides for 2018 to 115, just one murder shy of last year's 116.

Adding this weekend's murders to DC Police statistics, homicides are up year-to-date by 40 percent over last year.

Violence first broke out in the District on Friday, in the 900 block of 3rd Street, Southwest, at around 11 a.m. Police say they found an adult male victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The man, identified as Kajuan Young, of Southwest, was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries.

On Saturday, two shootings left victims dead. Police responded to those shootings in the 5100 block of F Street SE and the 1600 block of Euclid Street, NW. The victims were 41-year-old Terrell Butler of Northeast and 37-year-old James Thomas Dunn of Southeast.

Three people were killed in four hours early Sunday in Southeast.

On Sunday, police said just before 4:30 a.m., a suspect shot and killed 42-year-old William Hayworth, of Southeast. Police in the 7th district investigated two other murders earlier Sunday in the 1400 block of Howard Street, SE and the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace, SE. The victims were 28-year-old Ervin Eugene Watkins, of Southeast and 45-year-old Juan Dwayne Jackson, of Oxon Hill.

On Friday night, police responded to four people being shot in the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE. Those victims suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police say they're now looking for a suspect, seen in surveillance footage.

Kathy Henderson, ANC commissioner for the area, said it's hard to watch children become aware of the violence. She spoke to a 5-year-old boy in her neighborhood over the weekend.

"He says, 'Ms. Henderson, I heard the gunfire. I heard the bullets and I didn't like it,' and he's only 5 years old so we're having a safety walk tomorrow and he's going to help us lead our safety walk because everyone wants safety," Henderson said.

Henderson also reacted to the weekend's murders.

"This is very alarming. We don't need to become another Baltimore. This needs, we need to nip this in the bud right now," Henderson said.