National Guard Member Shot in Leg While Intervening in DC Fight; Suspect Wounded and Arrested
WASHINGTON — A National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday, October 18, while intervening in a fight in Southeast Washington, D.C., and the suspected gunman was wounded in the abdomen by return fire and arrested. Both were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive (GSM, based on the Metropolitan Police Department briefing and reporting by Army Times and WJLA).
Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll told reporters at the scene that the shooting occurred at about 11:10 p.m. on October 18 in the 400 block of 8th Street SE, in front of Cafe 8 near the Eastern Market Metro Station. Seven or eight Guard members were sitting in a van monitoring the area when they observed a fight break out on the sidewalk and exited the vehicle to intervene. An individual involved in the fight pulled out a firearm and began shooting; when Guard members ordered him to drop the weapon, he turned and discharged toward them, and three Guard members returned fire. The suspect fled into an alley before being arrested. Guard members rendered aid after the shooting, and D.C. Fire and EMS personnel from a nearby firehouse quickly assisted, Carroll said.
Carroll said investigators have not determined what caused the initial fight, that the other participants fled, and that police are asking those involved and any witnesses to come forward, adding there is no further threat to the community. The MPD Internal Affairs Division and Criminal Investigations Division are investigating. Councilmember Charles Allen, who represents Ward 6, where the shooting took place, said the city has seen “repeated issues” outside Cafe 8 involving gunshots and urged an emergency closure until “this business changes how they operate.”
Sunday's shooting comes almost a year after two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in November 2025 in front of the Farragut West Metro Station near the White House; Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her injuries a day later, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, survived after undergoing surgery. According to Army Times, roughly 4,500 soldiers are currently deployed to D.C., and the National Guard is scheduled to remain in the District through January 2029.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 华盛顿特区 Eastern Market / Eastern Market, Washington, D.C. — AgnosticPreachersKid 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，Wikimedia Commons
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