D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee on Friday identified the woman who was shot and killed at a hotel Thursday.
Dasha Cleary, 20, of Waldorf, Maryland, was one of five people shot at about 4 a.m. Thursday at the Days Inn on Connecticut Avenue in the Van Ness section of the District.
鈥淭his is a very, very tragic incident,鈥� Contee said.
鈥淐ertainly, she deserved better,鈥� the chief added, saying the D.C. police will continue to work the case 鈥渦ntil we are able to bring this case to closure.鈥�
Contee reiterated that the people gathered in the hotel room 鈥渇or the most part knew each other,鈥� and that they鈥檙e cooperating with the investigation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just being meticulous,鈥� Contee said.
Other shootings
Contee also detailed several other shooting incidents in the District on Thursday:
A man was shot during an argument on Irving Street, in Columbia Heights, just before 4 p.m., Contee said. Shortly thereafter, Christopher Frink, 18, of Northwest, was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill and carrying a pistol without a license. 鈥淭his case is now closed,鈥� Contee said.
The police have been 鈥渨orking very hard in that area,鈥� the chief said, adding that officers had walked through the neighborhood with residents a couple of hours earlier.
A woman was shot on North Capitol Street, in Northwest, also at about 4 p.m. Thursday, Contee said.
Two people came to a house in the 2100 block in a white Mercedes, parked in a rear alley, walked to the front of the house and began shooting, Contee said. The woman was wounded just outside the front door; two people left the house, one with a gun, evidently bent on retaliation, the chief said.
The police searched the house under 鈥渁n emergency search warrant,鈥� Contee said, and found three illegal firearms. Michael Cheadle, 18, two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old were all arrested on weapons charges.
Contee also mentioned an accidental shooting that took the life of a teenager in the District.
Kyle Richards, 17, of Federalsburg, Maryland, was shot just after 5 p.m. Thursday in the 4400 block of E Street in Southeast, just east of Alabama Avenue. He died of his injuries.
Shattiah Johnson, 26, whom Contee described as a friend of Richards鈥� brother, has been charged in the teen鈥檚 death. The shooting was 鈥渘ot intentional,鈥� Contee said, 鈥渂ut young Kyle Richards lost his life unnecessarily.鈥�
He called the shooting 鈥渁 very unfortunate incident,鈥� and added, 鈥渨e see tragedy when people are negligent in their handling of firearms.鈥�
‘These are our kids’
Contee said the rise in violent crime in the District is everyone鈥檚 business.
鈥淭hese are our kids. It鈥檚 going to be the police — that鈥檚 going to be the tool.鈥� In others, he said, the answer will come from employment opportunities provided by the business community for D.C.鈥檚 young people. 鈥淚t has to be a collective entity. I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 one government entity that鈥檚 going to be the answer.鈥�
Asked whether the D.C. Council is doing enough to provide those opportunities, Contee said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great question for the council.鈥�
He said the police department routinely asks itself whether it’s doing enough, and that 鈥淚 think that question should be across the board for everyone.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e locking people up when we鈥檙e supposed to be locking them up for committing crimes in our city,鈥� Contee said. 鈥淎nd everything else that happens after that — it has to be a collective effort.鈥�
Asked what people should tell families to stay safe, Contee said, 鈥淔irst and foremost is what I tell my family: We live in a big city. You have to be smart as you鈥檙e going about your way 鈥� whatever it is you鈥檙e doing.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly bombarded with information鈥� 鈥� including from the police themselves 鈥� 鈥渁bout this crime happening her, this crime happening there,鈥� Contee said, but he added that there are things people can do.
For example, the majority of cars stolen in the District have the keys inside, Contee said. 鈥淭hose are things that we can prevent.鈥�
And while carjackings are up, Contee said, 鈥淭he places where they鈥檙e happening is different from where it was a year ago. 鈥� It鈥檚 alarming to people. But it鈥檚 alarming to me wherever it happens in the city, whenever it happens in the city.鈥�
