D.C. diners flee tables as gunshots ring out in nation’s capital; men injured

Two people were shot near 14th and Riggs streets NW, where pedestrians and diners dove for cover.

At least two people were shot in a busy corridor late Thursday afternoon in the nation’s capital. 

The shooting happened near the intersection of 14th and Riggs streets NW, where pedestrians strolled and restaurant patrons were dining, sending dozens scrambling for cover. 

Police investigate a shooting Thursday in Washington, D.C. after gunfire erupted on a busy street, injuring two — who are expected to survive — and sending others fleeing for safety. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

According to Mediaite, several journalists were in the area, who caught and tweeted footage during and after the shooting near the popular Le Diplomate restaurant. 

CNN anchor Jim Acosta tweeted a photo of the scene, where a person was being treated by first responders. 

Acosta also shared a video of an eyewitness who said he saw someone shooting from a moving vehicle at a group of kids. “It was semi-automatics, it sounded like a war zone, for a hot second,” the man said. He also claimed gunfire was being returned from a nearby apartment complex. 

Another witness told The Washington Post: “We’re lucky with all that gunfire that got engaged, it was just two people who were hit.”

“It was a lot of rounds,” Cliford Ortman said. “It sounded like we were in a war zone.”

“Ban guns now,” one supposed witness tweeted. “I was having a drink at 14th Street between R and S and witnessed a drive-by shooting in DC, a dead body. One of the many of hundreds this year. I am in complete shock, shaking, and in panic. @MurielBowser DO SOMETHING.” 

Police have not confirmed a fatality. According to multiple reports, when police arrived on the scene, two men were injured but conscious. 

The shooting in the dense area follows the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old girl last Friday. Earlier this week, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a letter to its city council, saying, “We have heard the calls from residents in our communities most impacted by gun violence: They want to see a strong, sustained police presence. They do not feel safe while the threat of gun violence looms.”

“My charge to our police officers is to keep our communities safe and bring to justice those responsible for terrorizing our neighborhoods, threatening our families, and harming our residents,” she said.

Bowser will activate a summer crime prevention initiative aimed at engaging community members to build and deepen relationships and maintain the focus on getting illegal guns off the District’s streets.

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