Guard Deployment Continues After DC Shooting Injures Soldier

A National Guard member was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight in Southeast Washington, D.C., late Sunday, police said Monday. The injured service member and the suspected shooter went to the hospital; neither suffered life-threatening injuries. The soldiers came to the city to help tackle crime, and their deployment now runs through the 2029 presidential inauguration.

The Shooting

The shooting happened around 11:10 p.m. EDT in the 400 block of 8th Street SE, interim Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Jeffrey Caroll said. Seven or eight National Guard soldiers watched a group gathered on a sidewalk when a fight broke out. The troops stepped out of their vehicles to intervene. As they approached, they heard gunshots, Caroll said at an early-morning news conference.

Police said one of the suspects involved in the altercation opened fire. Guard members told the person to drop the weapon. “That individual then pointed the weapon towards National guard members, who returned fire,” the police chief said.

Three service members fired their weapons and hit the suspected gunman in the abdomen. A Guard member also took a shot to the leg. Police said the injured service member and suspected shooter went to the hospital, and neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

Carroll said officials couldn't immediately determine which member fired the shot that hit the suspected gunman. Police haven't released the suspect's identity. MPD's Internal Affairs Division and Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the shooting. Carroll said there were “no further threats to the community.”

Deployment and Prior Shooting

The soldiers first deployed to the nation's capital last year to help tackle crime. Officials extended their stay earlier this year through the 2029 presidential inauguration. Seven or eight soldiers were monitoring a group on a sidewalk in Southeast Washington when the reported shooting took place.

Nearly a year before Sunday's shooting, two National Guard members were shot and injured blocks from the White House. One died, while the other suffered critical injuries. The soldiers' deployment to Washington began last year, according to the account of their presence in the capital.

Both Sunday's incident and the earlier shooting involved National Guard members in Washington, D.C. In Sunday's case, police said the troops left their vehicles after a fight broke out and heard gunshots as they approached. A suspect pointed a weapon at Guard members, police said, and they returned fire.

MPD's Internal Affairs Division and Criminal Investigation Division are handling the investigation. Police haven't released the suspect's identity or said which Guard member fired the shot that hit the suspected gunman. The service member shot in the leg and the suspected shooter went to the hospital; neither injury was considered life-threatening. The Guard deployment, which began to help tackle crime, remains extended through the 2029 presidential inauguration.