Police say as many as 30 dogs were recovered from the property where the man had barricaded himself.
WASHINGTON — A suspect has surrendered after shooting three officers, sparking an hours-long barricade situation in Southeast D.C., police say. Police have since identified the suspect as 46-year-old Julius James, of Southeast, D.C.
The 5000 block of Hanna Place, Southeast was shut down for an investigation Wednesday near KIPP DC LEAP Academy.
DC Police Chief Pamela Smith confirmed three officers were shot and someone barricaded themself nearby. A fourth officer was injured also but not shot. Smith said that the scene remains active and bystanders should avoid the area.
Smith explained officers were responding to a home in the area to assist the Humane Rescue Alliance with serving an arrest warrant for animal cruelty. DC Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton said the officers were with the criminal apprehension unit, who typically serve warrants on violent felons.
When officers arrived, around 7:30 a.m., and tried to contact James inside, he reportedly refused to come out and fired at officers through the door.
The Humane Rescue Alliance Field Services Director Dan D'Eramo was on the scene as well. He was not hurt, according to an HRA statement.
"Our thoughts are with our partners at MPD who are being treated in the hospital and we are wishing them all the best in their recovery. We could not fulfill our mission without them. We are also concerned for the safety of the officers who remain on scene, the community members who continue to be affected, and the animals whom we were there to protect," the organization said.
James barricaded himself inside the home and continued to fire shots, the chief said. At 3 p.m. police said James was still barricaded inside his home, periodically firing shots.
As of 8:30 p.m., MPD confirmed that James had surrendered to police. Additionally, police say as many as 30 dogs were recovered from the property where the man had barricaded himself.
After he was arrested, James was charged with cruelty to animals but police say additional charges are pending for the reportedly assault on officers.
Pemberton said the officers' injuries were serious but non-life-threatening, and all the officers were in good spirits.
"I just spoke with all three officers," Pemberton said around 11 a.m. "One officer was shot twice. Luckily, his armor absorbed both of those rounds. Other officers were struck in the lower extremities."
He added that the officers injured are veterans of the department, calling them "tough."
Mayor Muriel Bowser checked on the officers at the hospital. She also briefly addressed the shooting at a scheduled event she attended with D.C.'s senior citizens at the Deanwood Recreation Center in Northeast.
"It goes to show how important it is that we support our police, to make sure we are hiring the best of the best and to make sure as a community that if we se something wrong, we are calling on MPD because MPD is going to show up for us every time," the mayor told the crowd alongside officials from the Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL).
Pemberton said he believes these types of situations are the result of a lack of officers and consequences for criminals.
"We are short 500 police officers right now and this is all due to the city’s council passage of the comprehensive police reform act," Pemberton said. "It makes a terrible working environment.”
One woman who lives in the area told us what she woke up to Wednesday morning. She said her daughter goes to nearby KIPP DC LEAP Academy.
"I just heard a bunch of sirens going past my window," she said. She said she saw the police response and the roads blocked off.
"It's normally not this big, but I see a lot of police action every day. We don't get this big a turnout when it's something happening to pedestrians out here. It's more when it happens to the police officers we get this type of turnout. Sad to say," she said.
A WUSA9 analysis of DC Police data shows the neighborhood has seen an increase in violent crimes over the past year — roughly 21% — driven by a marked increase in the number of homicides and robberies. However, it has avoided the even more serious increases in violent crime the greater Ward 7 area and the city have seen as a whole — 37% and 39% year-over-year, respectively.
Garfield Elementary School and Plummer Elementary School were both placed on lockdown earlier in the day due to police activity. KIPP DC LEAP Academy on Benning Road was also on secure status, meaning students couldn't enter or exit the building, but learning continued as usual. The school had an early dismissal.
Several roads were closed during the investigation:
- 5000 Blocks of Hanna Place SE
- 700 Block of H Street between Hanna Place and H Street, SE
- 4500 – 5000 Blocks of Benning Road, SE between East Capitol Street, SE, and Southern Avenue (PG County Borderline)
- 4600 -4900 Blocks of G Street between 46th and 51st Street, SE.
- G Street between Benning and 51st Street, SE
- 46th Street towards Benning Road, SE
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