Catholic University locks down after fatal shooting at Washington, DC, subway station

null / Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 5, 2024 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

The fatal shooting of a teenager at a Metrorail station near the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., led school administrators to issue an order to students and faculty to shelter in place for over two hours on Thursday.

The shooting took place Thursday afternoon on the Metrorail platform adjacent to the university’s campus. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) identified the victim as Avion Evans, a 14-year-old boy from Washington, D.C.

According to an MPD statement shared with CNA on Friday, authorities responded to reports of an incident at the Brookland/Catholic University Metro station at 3:59 p.m. on Thursday.

The MPD statement said that “officers located a male teenager suffering from gunshot wounds” and “after all life-saving measures failed, he was pronounced dead.”

The shooter, who remains at large, fled the scene, and at 4:15 p.m. Catholic University students were then notified to “immediately shelter in place” and all classes, practices, and events were canceled due to an “active threat.” 

At 4:35 p.m. students received another notification that the suspect had fled east, away from campus. The university remained on lockdown until 6:38 p.m. as campus police combed the area looking for the suspect. 

The shooter, who was seen on security camera footage and appears to be a male teenager, has not been apprehended. Authorities have said that the investigation is still ongoing. MPD is currently offering a $25,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the suspect’s arrest. 

Shortly after the shooting, MPD authorities held a press conference at the scene. MPD Deputy Chief Maurice McKinney said that the shooting occurred after a “physical altercation” and that “it is undetermined how many shots were fired at this time, and it is undetermined if the victim was the intended target.”

McKinney said that security officers at the station “were able to shield patrons and get them to safety” and quickly alerted the police. 

The shooting occurred at a time when many school children were returning home and the platform was filled with students from nearby schools, according to some reports on social media.

Catholic University President Peter Kilpatrick issued a statement on Thursday shortly after the events unfolded in which he announced the university will be increasing security measures.

“I would like to acknowledge how deeply distressing it was for members of our community who were at the Metro station at the time of the shooting,” he said. “I can only imagine how disorienting it was to have witnessed such a senseless act of violence. The news of a fatal shooting adjacent to campus is unsettling for all of us.”

Kilpatrick said that beginning Thursday night the Department of Public Safety would be enhancing patrols on campus and will continue to do so “for the foreseeable future.” He also said that both MPD and the Metro Transit Police will be increasing patrols near the station and on campus.

He added that the Friday evening Mass on campus would be celebrated for the repose of the soul of the 14-year-old victim. 

This is the latest of several fatal shootings near Catholic University’s campus in the last few years. Students and faculty had to shelter in place in April 2023 as well due to another shooting in the area. Since then, Catholic University has dramatically increased safety measures through additional armed security, patrols, and implementing keycard access to buildings. 

Kilpatrick said that he has met with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief of Police Pamela Smith to discuss increased safety measures on campus. 

A representative for Catholic University declined to comment further on the incident. 

Catholic University and the Brookland neighborhood are not the only parts of D.C. dealing with rising crime. 

On Jan. 18, Ryan Realbuto, a 23-year-old Catholic who was in D.C. for a Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps program, was shot and killed in the Fort Totten neighborhood, north of Catholic University. Realbuto was on his way home from adoration at a downtown Washington, D.C., church.

MPD reported a 39% increase in violent crimes between 2022 and 2023 and 274 homicides, the highest homicide number in the city in the last 20 years.