2 dead, 5 injured in shooting in downtown Washington D.C.

Multiple people were shot at a recreational facility in Washington, D.C., early Sunday morning, the Metropolitan Police Department said, as it began a search for one suspect in the attack.

Two people were killed and five more injured in the gun attack, which began at Kennedy Recreation Center in the capital’s downtown early Sunday, MDP Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said in a briefing to media at the scene.

“A total of seven people were shot at this location, two which have since been pronounced deceased,” he said.

The other five injured people were transported to local hospitals, he added. All the victims were adults.

Public Information Officers were responding at the scene, the D.C. Police Department said on X.

In a separate post on X, the department said it had begun a search for one suspect in the attack, which it described as a “B/M [Black male], average build, wearing light pants, blue shirt.”

The suspect had last been seen on foot heading south, it added.

Police did not immediately disclose any potential motive for the attack.

Less than two miles from the capital’s tourist spots of Penn Quarter and the National Mall, Kennedy Recreation Center is a facility run by Washington’s Department of Parks and Recreation, providing outdoor sport facilities, a gym, and youth entertainment rooms. It has been closed for improvements since August, according to the Department of General Services.

2023 was Washington D.C.’s deadliest year on record for violent crime, with gun attacks up by 55%, according to statistics from the Criminal Justice Co-ordinating Council for the District of Columbia.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.