(TPM) – An unidentified gunman in Washington, DC took his own life on Friday afternoon after allegedly shooting two women, a man, and a twelve-year-old girl from the fifth floor of the AVA apartment complex on Van Ness Avenue. No fatalities were reported.
The suspect had set up a room in an apartment in a “sniper-type setup,” according to authorities—making use of a tripod and several rifles equipped with telescopic sights. From there, he shot a passerbys, seemingly at random. Although the motives of the shooter are not yet apparent, Investigators believe the shooting was not a targeted attack but instead an indiscriminate use of deadly force.
While police have not yet formally identified the shooter, a mounting collection of circumstantial evidence strongly connected 23-year-old Raymond Spencer to the attack on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Metropolitan Police Department released photos of the man who was a person of interest in connection to the shooting: 23-year-old Raymond Spencer of Fairfax, Virginia.
The next media briefing will be held at 7:30 pm at Connecticut Avenue and Porter Street, NW. The briefing will be live-streamed on our Twitter account.
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) April 22, 2022
Authorities have not confirmed if Spencer was the suspect who was found dead but are currently no longer looking for him.
Moments before police were alerted to the gunfire, an online 4Chan user by the name of Spencer Raymond posted a message saying, “Dear God please forgive me.” An hour after the shooting, a user by the same name updated the Wikipedia page for Edmund Burke, a nearby prep school with the following:
“A gunman shot at the school on April 22, 2022. The suspect is still at large.”
While the shooting was taking place, students and faculty at the school were told to shelter in place as law enforcement arrived on the site to escort them to safety.
As police closed in on the building where the shooter was positioned sometime after 3:30 PM, the gunman took his own life. Law enforcement found his body sometime later, and police subsequently terminated the search for a suspect. Police have said they will not release the shooter’s identity at the present time.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said that the intent to kill was clear.
“This was very much a sniper-type set up with a tripod and this person obviously his intent was to kill and hurt members of this community,” Contee told outlets.
Upon searching the suspect’s vehicle, authorities discovered half-a-dozen more firearms and ammunition.
“I just think it speaks to the depravity of some of the individuals that we deal with out here. Someone who would d
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