A D.C. Safe Passage Worker is dead after he was shot in Northwest near the area of three D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) on Monday afternoon, MPD Police Chief Robert Contee said in a news conference Tuesday.

The shooting was reported around 3 p.m. in the 500 block of Somerset Place while schools in the area were still in session, police said.

When officers arrived at the scene, they located the man, identified as 36-year-old Michael Gaddis of Northwest, D.C., suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said Gaddis was was taken to a local hospital for treatment but died from his injuries.

According to Fourth District Commander Carlos Heraud, the safe passage worker was off duty at the time of the shooting. Police believe an altercation happened right before the incident.

The incident prompted a lockdown at Coolidge High School, Ida B. Wells Middle School and Whittier Elementary School, according to DCPS. As of 4:20 p.m., the lockdown has since been lifted and students were safely dismissed by school resource officers.

"Gun violence as a whole is unacceptable. Anytime it hits this close to our children it's even more egregious. Children should be able to come to school, be safe while they're at school and leave school safely," said Heraud.

The 500 - 600 blocks of Somerset Place Northwest between 5th and 7th Streets, Northwest was shut down due to the police investigation.

At this time, police said there is no suspect information and no weapon recovered. Police said the suspect fled in a vehicle. This incident is under investigation.

“We will work it until we actually get to who the person is that’s responsible for that shooting yesterday, and right now we’re not actually in a position where we actually know who that is," Chief Contee said in a Tuesday news conference. “We’ll get to the bottom of it, I’m very confident in that. And we just really need to just kind of put the pieces together.”

This incident is under investigation.

A prayer vigil was held Wednesday for Gaddis, with community members offering up memories, positive thoughts and prayers.