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Police say Washington, DC shooting suspect that shot 4 is dead

Police chief Washington, D.C.
Posted at 2:31 PM, Apr 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-22 22:06:39-04

A person of interest who shot 4 people before rushing away from the scene in Northwest Washington, D.C. on Friday is dead, according to police.

As CNN reported, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said, "The suspect that we believe is responsible for this is now deceased," she said. "We believe that the suspect took his own life as MPD members were entering or breaching the apartment where the suspect was located."

Contee declined to name the suspect citing a pending notification of next of kin.

Police were searching for a person of interest in connection to the shooting. Washington, D.C. police wrote on Twitter that the individual was "23-year-old Raymond Spencer of Fairfax, Virginia."

Police said two adult males and one juvenile female victim were identified. All are being treated at area hospitals. Police say they do not know of any relationship between the 3 victims. Police are still searching the area for a suspect or multiple suspects.

Police said they did not have any description of a suspect as of early Friday afternoon just after the shooting, but they confirmed that officers are doing sweeps of buildings in the area to try and locate a suspect.

Police later updated the public that a fourth victim experienced being grazed in the back by a bullet from the suspect's gun and received treatment by rescue workers on the scene.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged residents to shelter in place until the police got further into their investigation. Two of the shooting victims were said to be in stable condition in the hospital with the full condition of the minor who experience a gunshot wound not entirely clear.

The shooting happened in the Northwest quadrant of the city near the Van Ness metro station and Howard University School of Law at the 2900 block of Van Ness Street, NW, police said on Twitter after updating the address at around 4:18 p.m. local time.

Authorities told residents to expect a large police presence in the area and to expect street closures as the investigation continues. Police also asked residents to shelter in place.

This is a developing story and could continue to be updated.