Twelve people were shot in seven overnight incidents in Washington, D.C., on Friday night and early Saturday morning, the most violent night recorded in the city since a federal law enforcement surge began in August, reports The Washington Post.
One victim sustained life-threatening injuries and investigators think the others will survive their wounds, said D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch.
One of the shootings happened near Howard University at around 8:30 p.m. on Friday. Five people were injured, including a 13-year-old boy. Two suspects have been taken into custody.
“All we heard was yelling,” one man told DC News Now, adding, “We can’t do nothing in D.C. … This happens every time there’s a function in D.C., especially homecoming. D.C. [is] dangerous.”
One of the victims was a student at Morgan State University. The schools’ football teams were scheduled to play each other Saturday as part of Howard University’s homecoming weekend.
President Donald Trump has deployed approximately 2,500 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital. Trump has broad authority over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., which is not part of any state. But local officials argue the Guard is being used as a “federally run police force” without legal basis.
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, sued in September, citing the Home Rule Act of 1973, which he says gives the city’s mayor control over local policing. The Justice Department disputes that interpretation, saying the law does not limit the president’s authority over the federal district.
Trump has defended the deployment as necessary to curb lawlessness, though city police data showed crime was falling before troops were sent. A judge will hear arguments in the case on Oct. 24.
Newsmax wires contributed to this report.
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