Questions raised after no Metro Transit Police visible during fatal shooting of 15-year-old boy

WASHINGTON - Questions are being raised after a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed at the Deanwood Metro station on Saturday.

Metropolitan Police Department district commander David Taylor says the teen was involved in a conversation that escalated into an argument. At some point, the second person is believed to have drawn a gun and fired at the victim.

The victim's family is understandably upset -- not just because 15-year-old Devonte Washington was senselessly killed but also because of the response after the shooting.

Washington's family told FOX 5 that there were no Metro transit police officers at the station when the shooting happened, and that they feel the response time it took for anyone to get there was so long it allowed the shooter to get away.

On Monday, the Chief of Metro confirmed the family's comment saying that in fact there were no officers at the Deanwood station at the time of the shooting. But he says having an officer at every station, entrance, exit and train is pretty much impossible.

In recent months, we've heard Metro officials say many times that they are beefing up safety and security measures in light of recent shootings and attacks. But one of the big issues that is troubling residents in the district is crime, specifically homicide. So far this year, we've had 26 homicides, a 4% increase over this time last year. In 2015, we saw a 54% increase in homicides over 2014.

During an interview with the acting captain of the Homicide Unit, he explained that he believes the city is safe.

"I believe that the city is safe, to be honest with you. Sometimes you have a spike in violence, sometimes you have a decline in violence," explained D.C. Police homicide unit Captain Anthony Haythe. "The men and women of the homicide branch continue to investigate each and every case, 24 hours a day. We're always working trying to bring closure to the families of the victims."

Police say they do have surveillance video of the suspect involved in Saturday's shooting that left Washington killed. But they do not plan to release the video unless they are in need of the public's help. This makes it unclear as to whether the officers now know who they are looking for or not.

There is a GoFundMe account to help the victim's family with funeral expenses. Click here to help.