Fatal Shooting on Thomas Jefferson St.
By • February 18, 2021 One Comment 3269
Updated Feb. 20
A fatal shooting occurred on Thursday, Feb. 18, in a residence on the 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson St. NW around 3:15 p.m. It and nearby streets were shut down temporarily by police.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, 30-year-old Youness Zarouaki of Alexandria was taken to the hospital where he died. The shooting appeared targeted, police added.
Acting Police Chief Robert Contee was at the scene.
Also on the scene was Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Lisa Palmer, who offered an update. “The shooting was drug-related and occurred inside a building on Thomas Jefferson Street,” Palmer told constituents. “MPD has very strong leads on the case. An MPD officer was a block away at the time of the shooting, on his regular rounds. He was able to get to the scene immediately to assess and secure the scene.
“The suspect in the homicide in Georgetown on 2/18 was last seen fleeing northbound on Thomas Jefferson Street. The witnesses did not see if the suspect ran to M Street, or diverted beforehand,” Palmer continued. “If anyone has video from around 2/18 at 3 p.m. on or near Thomas Jefferson Street or has information about this crime to share, MPD would be grateful to review it. Please feel free to email Detective Brackett (seamus.brackett@dc.gov). Separately, if you or anyone you know has information and/or video to share but you would like to remain anonymous, please call or text 50411.”
Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto, who visited the crime scene with Palmer, wrote: “The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the upper body and stumbled out of the house where neighbors tried to offer assistance. He was taken to a hospital and was sadly pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crimes Branch were on the scene immediately.” Pinto added: “We are all committed to not only solving this crime, but ensuring that Georgetown, Ward 2 and our entire city is kept safe from this senseless violence. As many of you may have seen, the mayor announced a $15-million investment in gun prevention efforts this week.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser also visited the Thomas Jefferson Street location. This is Georgetown’s first homicide of 2021. Last year, there was one homicide in Georgetown.
Thomas Jefferson Street, which runs from K Street to M Street, is bisected by the C&O Canal. Two of its more prominent businesses are the Baked & Wired cupcake shop and the Graham Hotel.
Hopefully there will be a larger police presence in that area. This is the second homicide in a handful of months. The area underneath Whitehurst becomes a free for all on the weekends.