A rash of violent crimes along the H Street Corridor has neighbors worried for their safety, with gun violence even spilling out onto their doorsteps at times.
The latest case happened on Tuesday when officers responded to a shooting inside the popular restaurant Tony's Place. There, they found an employee who survived despite being shot multiple times. They have not made an arrest or released a motive at this point.
Leroy Martin lives on the H Street Corridor and said this latest shooting is a reminder of why he and his neighbors have grown increasingly uneasy.
"I see a lot of people going in before dark because I think they’re really scared. I haven’t even seen people walking their dogs like they used to. I used to see a lot more dogs at the dog park. You don't see too many dogs at the dog park anymore. It's a concern," Martin said.
7News spoke with several other neighbors who shared Martin's sentiments. They did not want to reveal their identities out of fear of retaliation.
This week's shooting is one of a handful of violent crimes in the last month.
On May 13th, there was a shootout at the intersection of H Street NE and 11th Street NE. According to police, people in two cars shot at each other.
Officers found at least 36 shell casings on the scene, but that was not even the most horrifying discovery.
They also found a baby car seat hit in the crossfire. Nobody was injured, however.
Just a few days later on May 16th, officers responded to another shooting just a few blocks away on 16th Street NE and I Street NE. Again, nobody was hurt.
"I think there's more violence since I moved here two years ago. I was thinking of moving. I think I may still move," Martin said.
Within a half-mile radius of the H Street Corridor, total crime is up 27% and violent crime is up 11%.
These two shootings came a few weeks after 7News reported on a number of restaurants getting burglarized.
"I think we need more police increases," Martin said. "They said they were going to increase the police, but I haven't seen it."
When 7News reported on those restaurant break-ins, we reached out to MPD to ask how they are responding to these crimes. The police district commander said they were increasing patrol and studying further security measures.
After the shootings over the last few weeks, 7News asked MPD about the status of the increased patrol and by how much.
"Yes, the First District has increased their patrols. No, we do not have any percentages, as MPD does not discuss operational tactics," a spokesperson said.
In the meantime, neighbors told 7News they are remaining extra vigilant.
Martin said even if he wanted to move, he's not sure how much safer he would be.
"You can move, but still violence and crime is everywhere," Martin said. "You think you're in a safe neighborhood when you move, but it's not. It's really not."