Just an hour after midnight, the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. recorded its first murder of the year.
Around 1:18 am on Monday morning, police responded to an emergency call in the 4300 block Military Road. They found a female who had been shot within a hotel room.
Ashlei Hinds (18) of Clinton, Maryland was identified as the victim by police. He was found unconscious and not responsive. Hinds was pronounced dead at the scene after EMS tried to save her life.
FOX5 DC reported Hinds had been celebrating with friends in a room in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Friendship Heights. The report stated that when one person was asked by the host to leave, he pulled out a firearm and began shooting at the crowd.
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Washington, D.C.’s 1st homicide in 2024 occurred just an hour after midnight on New Year’s Day.
Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department report that the suspect was 5’6″ tall, wore black clothing, and a ski mask. The man left the area on foot.
According to FOX 5, New Year’s Day also saw several stabbings, one shooting, and three armed robberies.
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Ashlei Hinds, 18, of Clinton, Maryland was shot and killed by a gunman in a hotel on New Year’s Day.
Washington, D.C., ranked fifth among America’s major cities in terms of murder rates last year, with homicides reaching a record high.
In 2023, there were 274 murders in the District. This is an increase of 35% compared to the previous year. Carjackings almost doubled and car thefts increased 83%. According to city data, violent crime increased by nearly 40% in the past year.
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Police respond to an emergency call regarding a shooting in the 4300 block Military Road. (FOX 5DC)
Matt Frumin, a Washington, D.C. councilmember, said that stopping gun violence should be the “top priority” of public officials.
“Early today morning, a gathering of friends at Embassy Suites Hotel was tragically turned when one of the group members shot and killed a woman who attended the gathering. Frumin expressed his sympathy to the family and friends of the victim, who are mourning her loss instead of celebrating New Year’s.
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Frumin has announced that he will be hosting a public forum at the Cleveland Park Library on January 17th at 6pm with Washington, D.C., police chief Pamela Smith, Washington, D.C., U.S. attorney Matthew Graves, and Washington, D.C., attorney general Brian Schwalb.
He said: “I am confident that MPD will do everything it can to capture the shooter.” “We are facing an epidemic of gun crime in our city, which affects every resident, regardless of their age, income or Ward. We must work across the government to empower public security agencies to stem this tide of violence.”