WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – A 15-year-old boy is dead, and three adults, including a police officer, were shot when gunfire ripped through the crowd Sunday night (June 19) at Moechella, an unauthorized music festival held in a Washington, DC neighborhood.
Moechella is a free street festival held on the corner of 14th and U Streets Northwest in an area known for its nightlife. The Metropolitan Police Department had shut down the music and street fest earlier in the night due to incidents of violence, including a fight among the festival attendees, the NYTimes reports.
As police and EMS began clearing the area due to another disturbance, gunfire rang out, and “several individuals were shot,” Chief Robert J. Contee III said at a news conference late Sunday night. He wanted to let the people know they would be held accountable for holding events without a proper permit.
“This is one of the reasons we don’t want unpermitted events taking place in our city,” he said. “Unfortunately, things like this can happen when you have the wrong mix of people or people who introduce firearms into a situation.”
The Washington City Paper described the festival as a “free, go-go band-led event full of Black cultural spirit and anti-gentrification passion.” Long Live GoGo founder, activist, and rapper Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson is the festival organizer. Yaddiya told the City Paper, “We’re doing something for the people that’s inclusive. I don’t really feel like it’s a Juneteenth event if you’re charging a lot for it.” That last comment references Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Water Festival, which took place near The National Mall from June 17 – June 19 with ticket prices hitting $300, which many simply can’t afford.
Chief Contee said that the shot officer was expected to recover and that the two other adults were stable. He did not say whether a suspect or suspects were in custody. The circumstances remained unclear late Sunday, but he said police officers did not discharge their weapons.
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