Wawa Shooting Rattles Georgetown
By • August 31, 2022 0 2837
An apparently homeless and mentally disturbed man fired shots in and outside the Wawa convenience store at 1222 Wisconsin Ave. NW around 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 30.
Metropolitan Police Officers arrived quickly at the crime scene and arrested the suspect, a man in his 30s or 40s, according to MPD District 2 Commander Duncan Bedlion. There were no injuries or property damage. “Right now there’s no indication of it being a robbery attempt,” Bedlion said. “There is indication of unusual behavior, so we’re going to explore that.”
Traffic was diverted for around an hour — and nearby stores locked down. According to a friend of a nearby business owner, “The perp had been walking in and out of stores (Madewell, Kendra, etc.) brandishing a gun. He crossed the street, firing shots and then entered the Wawa. He threatened a number of employees and walked behind the counter still waving the gun… But it’s a miracle that no one was hurt or killed.”
Freelance NBC4 reporter Darcy Spencer was at the scene and wrote: “Anthony James Young of no fixed address was arrested on gun and ammo charges. Three shots fired. No one hit.”
MPD Captain Sherrelle Williams issued an official statement on the Aug. 30 incident: “2D CPWL & Unlawful Discharge Arrest. At approximately 1715 hours, a suspect fired a handgun in front of a convenience store in the 1200 block of Wisconsin Ave NW. The suspect then entered the store and fired again. D-1 exited the store with the gun in his hand. Officers were on the scene and gave D-1 loud verbal commands to drop the firearm. D-1 dropped the weapon and was taken into custody. No property was damaged, and no one was injured.”
Rick Murphy, chairman of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission, told The Georgetowner, “My immediate takeaway from this incident is that there are too many guns on the street… and that it’s too easy for disturbed people to get handguns. This incident takes in so many issues — guns not registered, ghost guns — and the city is in a difficult position. I’m grateful for the very quick police response.”
One business owner, who asked not to identified, said, “Criminals will alway have access to guns, banned or not. This is why safe gun owners with concealed permits can protect themselves and others. Did anyone mention that that suspect had been arrested two days earlier and then released?”
Meanwhile, CrankyDC on Twitter commented: “Shooting at Wawa in Georgetown brings twice the response of 15 shot (3 dead) in 3 incidents a week ago. Must be nice to live in a politically connected neighborhood.”
