Five people, including four women, have been shot at a Days Inn in Washington, DC’s Northwest quadrant.
Police initially reported that one had died of their injuries, then issued a correction stating the victim was in a “grave condition”.
The victims are in hospital receiving treatment following the mass shooting, which took place in the early hours of Thursday morning at around 3am at 4400 block of Connecticut Avenue NW.
DC police said the victims were taken to different hospitals.
There is no further information as of yet on the motive of the shootings, police tweeted at 4am that there was “no lookout” for a suspect. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
7News in Washington, DC reported that there was a party at the hotel that turned violent, prompting an exchange of gunfire. The gunfight occurred inside one of the hotel rooms, with emergency services being dispatched at around 3.30am.
Both directions of Connecticut Avenue in the capital were blocked off, and were reopened as of around 7.30am on Thursday morning.
Second District Commander Duncan Bedlion of the DC Metropolitan Police Department told reporters that law enforcement received reports of “sounds of gunshots” and later found “multiple victims” inside the hotel. He added that “other victims” had been “transported to area hospitals by themselves”.
“This is very preliminary of course, but right now, we have five victims as a result of gunfire inside one of the hotel rooms,” the commander said.
“There are both genders of the five victims,” Commander Bedlion said. “Ages are not certain at this time.”
“We want the public to call in ... this is a business area, we know folks are coming in early to work, we know folks live in the area – please call us because we want to find out as much information as we can,” he added.
“We really need the public’s help in these kinds of scenarios,” the commander said, adding that authorities have received “complaints from the community” concerning the hotel, “related to drug activity”.
The hotel didn’t respond when contacted for comment by The Independent.
Anyone with information that can aid the investigation is urged to call the police at 202-727-9099.
