A man who was just kicked out of a Dupont Circle nightclub, pulled out a gun and fired injuring five people and a security guard late Friday, Metropolitan police said.
The shooting happened around 11 p.m. outside Decades nightclub along the 1200 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Police said a dispute on the street ensued after the man was removed from the club.
Six people were injured, a MPD commander told News4. All suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One person was treated at the scene for a minor graze wound, D.C. police said.
Bullets pierced at least one window along the busy nightlife corridor. It's not clear if the victims were inside or outside when they were shot.
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Police caught up with the alleged shooter, identified as 29-year-old Rennwel Mantock, of Hyattsville, and arrested him shortly after it happened. He was charged with assault with intent to kill, possession of unregistered ammunition and possession of a unregistered firearm.
A firearm was recovered, police said.
After hitting record highs in 2023, crime has been trending down in the District so far this year. Data from the Metropolitan Police Department show violent crime is down 25%. Assaults with a deadly weapon, the type of crime that this shooting will be classified, is down 31% year-over-year — 293 versus 427.
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In all, total reported crime is down 14%.
The drop in crime comes as the District works to fill officer shortages among the police department ranks. The department has 3,323 officers now, and Chief Pamela Smith said having 4,000 officers would be ideal. A newly launched in-person recruiting team is at work in D.C. and across the U.S.
