WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Police Department is continuing its search for the killer of 15-month-old Carmelo Duncan.
Duncan was shot and killed on the 5700 block of Southern Avenue SE Wednesday night.
DC Police Chief Peter Newsham said he believes Duncan’s shooting may have been targeted. He added the department also thinks he may have also been killed with an illegal firearm.
The Capitol View neighborhood is still in shock over the shooting.
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Delia Houseal, of ANC 7E, said it was disheartening to hear of as a mother in the community.
“We really do want change,” she said. “We know what the problems are. Now we want solutions.”
Houseal said her neighborhood is resilient, but it has had to witness many violent murders throughout the year.
According to DC Police, there have been 12 homicides in ANC 7E through 2020. Data from the Alexandria Police Department shows that is nine more murders than that Virginia city has experienced all year.
The TraRon Center works with local victims of gun crime to deal with any mental trauma they may have after witnessing a shooting. Dr. Meg van Achterberg, a child psychiatrist and TraRon Center board member, said locals who see gun violence repeatedly can be severely impacted as a child.
“You do not grow up feeling safe in the way that childhood is meant to be,” she said. “It impacts your ability to be playful, to be creative, to focus.”
Amanda Beale, an intern counselor with the TraRon Center, added she knows firsthand what it can be like to hear shooting in the neighborhood where one lives.
“Growing up, I know the feeling of sitting in the living room and hearing shots and then you duck,” she said. “It’s like a constant walking fear of being on edge.”