Bullets strike DC kindergarten classroom windows as violent crime soars in the nation’s capital

WASHINGTON - Students at a D.C. middle school were placed on lockdown Monday afternoon after gunfire struck several windows of a kindergarten classroom in what has become the latest act of gun violence to strike the nation's capital..

Gunshots rang out around 1:35 p.m. near the campus of Stanton Elementary School on Naylor Road in the southeast.

Students who were outside were hurried back into the building. Students inside were ushered away from the building's windows, and movement between classes was halted.

During a sweep of the building, investigators found bullets struck and lodged into the windows of two classrooms. The window of an empty fifth grade classroom was struck once. Two windows within a kindergarten classroom were also struck.

The lockdown was lifted, and classes resumed around 2:10 p.m. No injuries were reported.

"I want to acknowledge that coping with the effects of community violence is a difficult experience, and we will support our Stanton family in any way we can," said Principal Allen Richardson in a letter to the school community.

"It's very terrifying. My son, he was kind of nervous about coming to school today," said Chyna Jones whose son attends the school. Jones said her son told her he was led from the third floor to the basement during the lockdown.

Shirley Dawkins lives near the school and said Mayor Muriel Bowser is responsible for the rising crime rates. "What is she doing? Nothing. She's not focused on us. She's focused on uptown, downtown, and what she can do for other people to keep her back in office. What about us the community?"

A few hours after the gunfire struck the school, police responded to a shooting on Green Street where they say a boy in his late teens was killed.

Just before midnight, officers say a woman was shot and killed on Fitch Street in the southeast.

Police are also continuing their investigation into the murder of Blake Bozeman, a 31-year-old father and college basketball player, who was shot and killed over the weekend at the Cru Lounge.

According to data from the city's police department, homicides are up 28 percent in the District this year compared to the same time last year. Robberies are up 65 percent, motor vehicle thefts are up 106 percent, and total violent crime is up 37 percent in that same time frame.