Four people were shot and wounded across the District of Columbia this weekend, including an off-duty D.C. firefighter, in a spate of violence that also followed several stabbings on Friday.
Late Saturday night, off-duty firefighter Gary Dziekan, 42, was shot during what police said was a robbery attempt near the 200 block of 8th Street NE on Capitol Hill.
Investigators said a 17-year-old from Suitland, Md., approached Dziekan, demanded his property and ordered him to unlock his phone. A struggle over the suspect’s gun followed and both Dziekan and the teen were shot.
Dziekan was found conscious and breathing; the suspect fled and was later discovered in the 400 block of 9th Street NE. Both were taken to the hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. The teen has been charged with assault with intent to rob.
About 24 hours later, police were called to the 1800 block of Benning Road NE, where two men were found shot shortly after 9 p.m. Both were conscious when they were transported to the hospital.
Detectives said they are looking for four men believed to have been involved in the attack and urged anyone with information to come forward.
The weekend violence followed several stabbings on Friday night, including one in the 1600 block of Benning Road NE, just a few blocks from Sunday’s shooting. That victim survived.
Additional stabbings in the last few days were in the 600 L Street SE, 2100 32nd Place SE, 1900 19th Street NE and the unit block of N Street SW near Nationals Park. Police continue to investigate all incidents and have not announced additional arrests.
The shootings came amid President Trump’s highly publicized federal crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. In August, the president ordered a month-long deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to Washington, placing the Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal oversight. He said the move was necessary to combat what he described as “rampant crime” and to restore order in the city.
Since the deployment began, federal officers have worked alongside D.C. police in targeted patrols and checkpoints in neighborhoods experiencing persistent violence. The initiative has drawn mixed reactions: some residents say the heightened presence has provided reassurance, while local officials and civil liberties groups have criticized it as an overreach into the city’s home rule.
