Fenty, Lanier Address Grieving Crowd Following Tuesday Night's Shooting

By Patrick Madden

After one of the deadliest shootings in years, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other city leaders visited the neighborhood in Southeast D.C. where 4 people were killed and at least five wounded.

An emotional – and at times – angry crowd greeted Mayor Fenty as he made his first public appearance since Tuesday’s shooting.

Fenty called the shooting one of the most violent incidents ever to happen in D.C.

"Everybody here grieves for the families who have lost their loved ones," says Fenty.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier says Tuesday night’s drive-by shooting was sparked by two earlier shootings. It was a cycle of retaliation that, according to court records, began with a dispute over a stolen bracelet.

"I'll tell you what it is, it's ridiculous. The community is tired of it, there's just no excuse for shooting people, innocent people like that," says Lanier.

Dozens of neighbors, many of them young men and women, had returned to the scene of the shooting to hold a vigil and to listen to Fenty and Lanier. Treyon White, a community organizer, called on city leaders to provide more opportunities for young people.

"We gotta get something for these guys, they're crying out. If we don't step in and be a vehicle to give these guys opportunities and resources, it's going to happen again," says White.

Two men and a 14-year-old boy have been charged in the shooting. One of the suspects, 20-year-old Orlando Carter, was also charged in one of the earlier shootings. It appears that last week the police had tried to get a warrant for Carter’s arrest, but prosecutors felt they didn’t have enough evidence. Asked about the issue at last night’s press conference, Chief Lanier said sometimes the police and the U.S. attorney’s office have a difference of opinion.