Demetrius Thompson fatally shot in face in Southeast; suspects sought
D.C. police are searching for two suspects after a 22-year-old man was fatally shot and killed on a Metrobus near the Garfield Heights neighborhood of Southeast Washington.
Authorities say Demetrius Thompson, of Southeast, who was riding a W4 Metrobus near the intersection of 24th Street and Alabama Avenue SE, was shot in the face and died en route to a hospital.
Sources say Thompson was on the Metrobus when two suspects boarded the bus just after midnight. One of the suspects reportedly shot Thompson, then both fled the scene.
“To think that somebody boarded that bus and did that to my child is scary, real scary,” said Talaya Thompson, the victim’s mother.
Police say Thompson was also able to get off the bus and collapsed on the street. Investigators now plan to review footage from interior and exterior cameras on the bus.
Thompson, a father to a 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, was unemployed but had just gotten his commercial driver's license.
Police have no leads on a motive as of yet.
Talaya Thompson said she doesn't know who would kill him or why. “This is senseless to me,” she said.
Some passengers who were boarding buses along Alabama Avenue SE say they don't feel safe. A Metro police car was spotted following buses along the same route.
“It wasn't just a random shooting like it was they were targeting someone specifically,” said Metro rider Safia Mohamoud after being shown the surveillance video by an ABC7 reporter. The shooting troubles her.
“Things like that it's just scary when it happens,” she said.
Diane Robertson can't believe someone would kill a man in front of other passengers on a bus.
“It's ludicrous, I wonder why they would do something like that,” Robertson said, who was on the way to take the 16 bus herself.
“You could be anywhere and something can happen to you,” said Kitt Gardner.
Metro police hope the release of the surveillance video may yield some clues to the suspects’ identity.
“I can’t for the world of me think of why or what why this happened,” Talaya Thompson said.
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