According to MPD Police Chief Robert Contee during a news conference on Tuesday, a D.C. Safe Passage Worker who was shot on Monday afternoon in Northwest near three D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) has died.
According to the police, the incident was reported at three o’clock in the afternoon in the 500 block of Somerset Place while schools in the surrounding area were still in session.
Officers found the victim, later named as Michael Gaddis, 36, of Northwest, Washington, D.C, suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived at the site. According to the police, Gaddis was transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries there.
At the time of the incident, the safe passage worker was not on duty, as stated by the Fourth District Commander Carlos Heraud. The police suspect that there was a confrontation immediately prior to the tragedy.
According to DCPS, the incident resulted in the implementation of lockdown procedures at Coolidge High School, Ida B. Wells Middle School, and Whittier Elementary School. The lockdown was eventually lifted at 4:20 o’clock in the afternoon, and school resource officers escorted the students out of the building in a secure manner.
“Gun violence as a whole is unacceptable. Anytime it hits this close to our children it’s even more egregious. Children should be able to come to school, be safe while they’re at school and leave school safely,” said Heraud.
At this point, police say they don’t know who the suspect is and haven’t found any weapons. Police said that the suspect got away in a car.
This incident is being looked into.
