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Firefighter gets shot by a teenager in attempted robbery
A DC firefighter is recovering after police say a teenage boy shot the firefighter in an attempted robbery.
WASHINGTON - A D.C. firefighter is recovering after police say a teenage boy shot him in an attempted robbery on Capitol Hill. His fellow firefighters from Engine 18 rushed to his rescue — and saved his life.
Zeek Dziekan tells FOX 5 that he is abundantly grateful that he gets to live another day — to keep raising his young kids — all thanks to his brothers and sisters in the department.
"I haven’t probably processed everything yet … it’s been not even 24 hours yet. I’m just happy that I came home and saw my kids," said Dziekan.
What we know:
Dziekan was off duty Saturday night and heading home from a friend’s house when a 17-year-old suspect tried to rob him near 8th Street NE just before 10:30.
"He put the gun up to my chest and was gonna kill me. I grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it away, and as I did, he pulled the trigger," said Dziekan.
Dziekan started bleeding heavily. He dialed 911 — but said no one picked up for three long minutes. So he called the people he knew would answer: his own fire station.
"I said, ‘It’s Zeek, I’m at 8th and C Northeast, I’ve been shot, I need help.’ They said, ‘We’re on our way.’"
His brothers and sisters from Engine 18 rushed to the scene and saved his life.
"Thank you guys for being there and getting to me when you did. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming," said Dziekan.
Police say the teen suspect accidentally shot himself too, demanded Dziekan help him, then ran off. Officers later took him into custody.
What's next:
The bullet is still inside Dziekan's body — too dangerous to remove.
He tells FOX 5 he is still in shock — but already focused on recovery, eager to return to duty and to coaching his sons’ Little League team.
"My kids, they’re 10 and 13. They’re already shaken up a lot right now," he said. "I don’t even want to imagine if it would have gone a different way."
The other side:
The Office of Unified Communications Director McGaffin issued the following statement in response to the incident, and the alleged delayed response to Dziekan's 911 call:
"The Office of Unified Communications (OUC) is committed to giving each resident and visitor the peace of mind that we are here when they need us most, whether that is for non-emergency help or in their most dire time.
On the evening of September 20, 2025, OUC received more than 20 calls within 10 minutes regarding a shooting between 8th and 9th Streets NE. The initial call for this shooting was received at 10:11:17 p.m., the call was processed and OUC dispatched DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department units at 10:12:22 p.m. and Metropolitan Police Department units at 10:13:25 p.m.
Due to the spike in call volume surrounding the incident, OUC processed calls for service as quickly as possible. We recognize that during incidents which create an increase in call volume, some callers are placed in queue while call takers gather pertinent information and provide lifesaving direction to other callers.
OUC works closely with its public safety partners to help ensure that each response is timely and well-coordinated."