A man was fatally shot Friday morning in Washington, D.C., while he was carrying a newborn and holding the hand of a five-year-old boy.
The man was reportedly shot at close range, according to NBC Washington. Neither of the children were harmed during the shooting.
A man holding hands with a 5-year-old and carrying an infant in a car seat was fatally shot outside an apartment building Friday morning in Northeast Washington, according to D.C. police. https://t.co/DKl6hr5ivQ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 4, 2022
“It appears he was targeted by this shooter. This individual walked up, shot him with the children right there,” Executive Assistant Chief of Police Ashan Benedict said, according to NBC Washington.
Police have not identified the victim of the shooting or his relation to the children, NBC Washington reported. The children are now in the custody of their mother. (RELATED: Man Killed Carrying Daughter’s Birthday Cake Into Chuck E. Cheese)
“This is a really disturbing event and we really need the public’s help in this,” Metropolitan Police Fifth District Commander William Fitzgerald said in a video posted to Twitter. “It’s one of the most horrible things we’ve had in the fifth district in several years.”
Police are still attempting to arrest a suspect in the shooting, according to NBC Washington.
A study by the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform released in December 2021 suggests gun crimes in Washington, D.C., are committed by a “tightly concentrated” group of individuals. Roughly 86% of victims and suspects of gun crimes had previous encounters with law enforcement.
The Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller for comment.