Police in Washington, D.C. say that a woman has been killed after being shot in the head while sitting in a gym parking lot and the suspect is on the loose.
Metropolitan Police confirmed to Fox News that a man walked up to a woman sitting in her car at a Planet Fitness in the city’s Southeast neighborhood on Thursday morning and shot her in the head before fleeing. The police department says a statement on the woman being pronounced dead is forthcoming.
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Police also confirmed to Fox News the suspect is on the loose.
“Shooting Investigation in the 3200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE,” the police department posted on Twitter. “No Lookout.”
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The incident marks the continuation of a string of brazen shootings that have rocked the nation’s capital and contributed to an overall rise in violent crime.
Washington has been experiencing a crime wave that has sparked outrage from many residents and police say they are understaffed.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced earlier this summer that she plans to add 170 police officers to the city’s force amid rising violence and several high profile shootings in the city.
“Right now, I have directed MPD to use any overtime necessary to meet our public safety demands,” the Democratic mayor wrote in a statement. The statement noted that Bowser plans to hire 170 additional Metropolitan Police Department officers by 2022.
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“But we know that is not a complete solution or the right long-term solution. We also know we need all of our officers to be fresh, rested, and in the best position to make good decisions – and that requires having a full force to meet all of our community’s needs.”
Last year, the city council voted to defund the police department by shifting $23 million out of its budget in a move that Bowser publicly opposed.
Homicides in the city hit a 16-year high in 2020 and local media outlets reported in April of this year that 2021 was on track to be even deadlier. Earlier this month, gunfire broke out near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium causing players and fans to flee the area in a chaotic scene that drew national attention.
