Violent start to year in DC as Mayor Bowser begins second term

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - As D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser prepares for her second term in office her swearing-in ceremony comes on the heels of a violent start to the new year in the District.

Police in D.C. began 2019 by responding to at least six shooting incidents, a stabbing and two robberies on Tuesday. Officials say one of the incidents, a late night shooting on Barnaby Road, was deadly. The shooting incident at the Marine Barracks which resulted in the death of a Marine is still under investigation.

A New Year's Day shooting on Kennedy Street left a bystander in critical condition. D.C. police chief Peter Newsham said the shooting occurred after two groups of people got into an argument. The bystander, a man who was standing nearby, was shot in the head.

According to police, violent crime totals in the District saw a seven percent decrease in 2018 compared to 2017 even though they report homicides during that same period increased by 38 percent. Officials say D.C. finished 2018 with 160 homicides, 44 more than the 116 homicides reported in 2017.

After a report in December of last year calling attention to crime statistics generated by the department, the D.C. police department disputed FOX 5's findings.

A D.C. council member said there will be an investigation into the way the police department handles crimes statistics after a FOX 5's report indicated many of their numbers may be misleading.