The Heights Life thinks it's time for some crime fighting resolutions in 2009. Maybe MPD and Jim Graham should resolve that this year... things will actually get better. Maybe? Because so far, '09 is off to a rough start.
Homicide
Last week a homicide occurred around 13th and Columbia, in an alley. This location has been cited previously for shootings. Here are the details divulged by Jim Graham:
According to MPD, just minutes ago, a 25 year old African American was shot dead in what is reportedly a drive by shooting on the 1300 block of Columbia Rd NW. A silver SUV was seen leaving the site. Police indicate that this as a targeted shooting.
There were many shots fired at 1310 Columbia Rd.
Another man with gun shot wounds apparently took himself to MedStar. It is not clear now whether there is any connection between the two shootings.
There were other shootings in southeast DC, some four or five persons shot within one hour.....a very violent night for our city.
There are no further details at this time, but more will follow soon. Councilmember Jim Graham
Mail Theft
The Columbia Heights listserv is overflowing with reports and complaints about mail theft. One individual said he/she followed a woman after her mail was lifted and watched her do it to several other homes. Repeated calls to MPD didn't help, as when they finally showed up to investigate it was too late to prove a thing.
I've personally experienced this problem about a year ago when I attempted to have a UPS package delivered. It was stolen and apparently signed for - but not by me. Like many of the folks on the listserv, I now have all packages delivered to an office.
Irving Street
Last night, the 1300 block of Irving Street was closed down for a police investigation. Dogs were sniffing around several front yards and at least four police cars were present. The officers wouldn't say anything other than, "we're just conducting an investigation." So, for more information, I attempted to use the DC Crime Map that ArtBart wrote about.
Though it wasn't up to date enough to help, I did learn that within 1000 feet of the busiest intersection in Columbia Heights (14th and Irving), there have been 11 violent crimes and 22 property crimes reported and logged in the last 30 days.
So, with an economic downturn and crime upswing... is there any hope that maybe this year be better than the last?
1 comment:
On the topic of mail theft, this seems to be a growing problem. I have decided to get a security mailbox, and found a number of options online at MailboxWorks. I think this has got to be one of the best ways to protect myself from identity theft.
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