A deadly shooting on Monday night in a metro station in Southeast Washington D.C. killed 17-year-old Martez Toney and injured an unidentified 14-year-old boy, authorities said.
MetroTransit Police deputy chief George Nader and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Seventh District commander John Branch said a metro employee called the Metro Transit Police around 10:10 p.m. to report gunfire coming from the direction of the Congress Heights Metro Station.
Nader said that officers were dispatched to the nearby 23rd Street and 1300 block of Alabama Avenue and arrived within minutes.
They found two teenagers dead from gunshot wounds in the bus bay outside the station.
According to the police report, Toney was given CPR by an MPD officer but was unresponsive. Paramedics then transported him to the hospital, and he was pronounced dead later.
Even though police said the 14-year-old boy’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, he was also transported to a nearby hospital.
Update: 7th District Commander John Branch and @MetroTransitPD Deputy Chief George Nader provide an update on the two juveniles shot at the Congress Heights Metro Station in the 1300 Block of Alabama Avenue SE. pic.twitter.com/VipLLs8hnT
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 3, 2023
According to Branch, the two victims were together when they were shot.
Authorities are currently operating under the assumption that Toney and the other teen were the intended targets of the shooting due to the multiple shots fired.
According to NBC News 4, a Polymer80 ghost gun with no serial number was found at the crime scene.
“The community needs to figure out how to deal with its problems and challenges without resorting to violence or weapons”, Branch commented.
He also highlighted that people must be alert to their environments and speak up if they notice something suspicious.
Randy Clarke, Metro’s general manager, responded to the news on Twitter. He said that he was heartbroken by “another violent day” in the city and “the most recent event” that occurred on Metro property.
Clarke thought it was tragic that a teen was killed in this shooting. He emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of gun violence on both a national and local scale.
He and the officials said that the MPD is now in charge, with the Metro Transit Police acting as backup for the investigation.
Toney’s death was the first homicide recorded in the District in 2023.