Teen Killed, Others Injured During D.C. Juneteenth Advocacy And Musical Festival
A 15-year-old was killed and three people were injured at a Juneteenth festival in Washington, D.C., on Sunday (June 19).
According to USA Today, D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee told reporters that several hundred people gathered for the Juneteenth advocacy and music festival titled “Moechella” and referred to it as an “unpermitted event.”
Contee said police attempted to break up the event after a fight and another incident led to several people being trampled and injured. A firearm was recovered after the second incident.
Four people were shot, including a police officer and a juvenile. Three adult victims, including the officer, were in local hospitals recovering, but the 15-year-old boy died, Contee said.
Police say they recovered “several” firearms from the area, including from someone who was shot.
“We certainly want to make sure people are held accountable when they hold unpermitted events in our city,” Contee said on Sunday. “This is one of the reasons why.”
No suspects were named by police. And the names of the victims are being withheld so far. Moechella’s Instagram page states the event was a Juneteenth “peaceful demonstration” with several musical artists performing on U Street, a historically Black neighborhood.
"We have a child who was killed today at an event that did not have any proper planning," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, according to USA Today, in regards to the need for accountability over what transpired.
