DC Violence Prevention Effort Opens With Two People Getting Shot Near Peace Baptist Church

A D.C. gun violence prevention effort was interrupted Monday by a double shooting that left two men injured at a local church.

Read more ‘So Scary’ — World #1 Aryna Sabalenka Trash Talks Confident Rookie Teodora Kostovic After Win

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers heard gunfire around 4:05 p.m. while in D.C.’s Rosedale neighborhood, MPD said in a statement. Bystanders pointed officers to a place of worship on 18th Street Northeast, which police identified as Peace Baptist Church (PBC), according to Fox5. The church was hosting a stop-the-violence campaign when shots were fired, PBC’s pastor told the outlet.

“Inside the place of worship, Officers located two adult males suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds,” MPD’s statement read. “DC Fire and EMS responded and transported both men to area hospitals for treatment.”

D.C. Media photographer Andrew Leyden wrote that both victims were “conscious” and “breathing.” The men were reportedly in their late teens or early twenties, NBC4 said. The two men did not have affiliations with the church, according to Fox5’s reporting, though this appears to be disputed by the findings of the MPD.

MPD’s investigation found a group of people in a fenced-in utility area on church property. At least one suspect amongst the group fired toward that group, the statement alleged, before reportedly fleeing the scene.

Read more Netherlands Players Swarm Field To Support Cody Gakpo After Girlfriend’s Pregnancy Loss

While officers were interviewing witnesses within the church, they arrested a 16-year-old juvenile male who was allegedly carrying two backpacks and two firearms. He has been charged with counts of “Carrying a Pistol without a License, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, and Possession of a Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device,” according to the statement.

MPD continues to investigate the shooting and the juvenile’s alleged involvement.

The shooting took place as youth inside the church received summer employment training to become gun violence prevention leaders, according to NBC4. Parents expressed their frustrations over D.C. police keeping participants inside the church for nearly two hours after the shooting, the outlet said. (RELATED: New Video Shows DC Police Shoot Murder Suspect On Bus With Passengers Abroad)

The Daily Caller reached out to Peace Baptist Church but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Read more Paul Krugman Suddenly Admits Tariffs May Be ‘Necessary’ After Years Of Globalist Dogma