Washington, D.C. police said authorities are still conducting an active sweep hours after they issued an alert saying they were responding to an “active threat” involving three shooting victims in the city.
At a press conference Friday, D.C. Police assistant chief Stuart Emerman said the authorities are still conducting searches in the neighborhoods of Van Ness and Cleveland Park and are still looking for a suspect or multiple suspects in the shooting.
Emerman said said multiple shots were fired but did not specify the exact numbers.
Police said they have no individuals in custody and are still determining the details surrounding the incident.
“We’re asking the public to stay away from this area as we continue to do our search and continue our investigation. This is a very early point in our investigation,” Emerman said.
Emerman declined to comment on videos being shared online of the reported incident, saying only that authorities are working to verify them.
Police said in a tweet earlier on Friday that there have been at least three victims located, two adult males and one juvenile female.
The victims are critical but stable, according to Emerman.
Witnesses interviewed by local TV stations at the scene described panicked motorists and pedestrians in the area after gunfire rang out.
Multiple agencies including the United States Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were on hand to assist D.C. police.
Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said at the press conference, “We have three of our residents who have been injured and we are praying for their health and well being.”
She added that “We understand two are in stable condition and that there was a minor gunshot wound to a child” and said “we’re asking all of our residents to follow law enforcement instructions.”
In a tweet sent Friday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it was “responding to active threat at 4101 Connecticut Ave NW” and asked those nearby to shelter in place.
The tweet added that residents should expect heavy police presence and road closures and asked them to avoid the area.
The normally quiet area in NorthWest Washington D.C. is home to a number of schools, including University of District of Columbia and Howard University Law School, which are currently locked down.
Anthony Guglielmi, U.S. Secret Service chief of communications, said uniformed officers are providing mutual aid to MPD with scene and search support.
“No impact to Secret Service protectees” he added.
— Updated at 6:18 p.m.