On Sept. 5, 2023, a shooting occurred around 4:20 p.m. inside a fifth-floor unit of Valo Apartments, a luxury residential building at The Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront, leaving five people wounded and one dead.
One resident of the complex stated she heard two muffled gunshots when she and her roommate entered their fifth-floor apartment, and the pair quickly locked the door behind them, unsure whether there was an active threat and if the shooting happened on their floor.
According to The Washington Post, three men were involved in the suspected armed drug deal gone wrong and charged with first-degree murder –– Keshawn Lavender, Deandre Sams and Raymond Mathis.
“[We] are pained by this horrific incident and understand the unease our residents are experiencing,” said Emily Mooney, the director of marketing and communications for Bernstein Management Corporation, in an interview with The Washington Post.
Police identified 32-year-old Matthew Anthony Miller as the victim who died during the incident. He lived in the apartment where the shooting took place. Miller’s mother, Sandra L. Miller, complained that the police failed to provide her with any information about the investigation.
The complex’s managers are “making information and surveillance camera footage available to D.C. police” and increasing security. According to D.C. Council member Charles Allen, ending gun violence in Washington requires involvement from all levels of government with “great urgency.”
The shooting is part of a recent trend of rising violence in the area. According to The Washington Post, the number of homicides resulting from gun violence in Washington has increased 30% since last year, and Washington has had eight murders in the first five days of Sept. 2023.
Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the police have pushed various initiatives to respond to gun violence in Washington. According to The Washington Post, the city implemented a curfew for teenagers in select neighborhoods, prosecuted juveniles as adults and permitted judges to detain more defendants before trial.
