Washington Shooting: Teen Dead, Police Officer Injured After Gunfire Erupts At Party Amid Pandemic

A teenager was fatally shot and 20 others, including an off duty police officer, were injured in a shooting that erupted at a large outdoor party in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Christopher Brown was one of the two teens who were struck during the early Sunday morning shooting, police said. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead.

"I really don't understand how my child's life is gone. 17, my oldest, I have five boys. Just an innocent king's life is taken for whatever the reason," his mother Artecka Brown told WJLA.

Christopher's aunt told the outlet that he has a 1-year-old son and another child on the way.

An off-duty D.C. police officer was also shot and was transported to a local hospital by her fellow officer. "She's struggling for her life right now," D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters at a news conference. The 22-year-old unidentified officer was shot in the neck. She joined the force about a year ago, officials said.

"There was some kind of a dispute," Newsham said during the press con. "Multiple weapons were produced."

At least three shooters may have opened fire at the party attended by more than 100 people, police said. The motive for the shooting is unclear. No arrests were immediately announced.

The incident comes at a time when the city’s restrictions on large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic prevail.

Speaking to reporters near the scene of the shooting, Mayor Muriel Bowser reminded that gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited so is public drinking and the use of marijuana.

"It's very important that as a community we have a zero-tolerance for this activity," Bowser said. She added that police will have to make some "difficult decisions" and "break up these events."

Calling the incident "terrible," Nelson Bostic, a resident in the area, shared his experience with WTOP.

"I saw a young lady, she got shot in the leg. A young man, he was leaning over his car … it sounded like machine guns," Bostic said. He told the outlet that it was a birthday party.

"Next thing you know, it was like Beirut out here. It sounded like machine guns and everything else that was going on out here. . . People laying on the ground. People ducking under cars and stuff like that," Bostic added.

Councilman Trayon White responded to the incident and wrote on Twitter, "When you don't love yourself and don't know who you are, it is easy for you to bring a machine gun to a peaceful event and instantly take someone's life. That ain't gangsta, that's a coward! It's very sickening."