Washington, D.C--A 15-year-old was shot and killed after an informal event was held in downtown DC known as the Moachella Music Festival. Four others were also wounded and are in stable condition–including a police officer. The shooting occurred around 6:00 p.m after several hundred people gathered mostly on the sidewalk.
Police had responded to break up a fight that occurred shortly before the shooting. A firearm was also recovered from one of the shooting victims.
Read More: Teen dies, 3 others shot including cop, during downtown D.C. music concert Moechella
Chief Robert J Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department stated during a press conference that those who held the event without a permit will be held accountable.
“The festival, that The Washington City Paper called “a free, go-go band-led event full of Black cultural spirit and anti-gentrification passion”, was canceled after the shooting. The event’s name, according to the newspaper, combines the slang term for a friend, “moe,” and the name of Coachella music festival.”
The Moechella concert was held in Northwest Washington DC, an area that is said to be historically known as the “heart of Black culture in America” (HITC).
Locals had gathered to celebrate Moechella on Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Photo: by Amanda Voisard
