LIFE, AND OPENED FIRE AND THAT
CAN NOT AND WILL NOT BE
TOLERATED.
>> WASHINGTON, D.C. MAYOR MURIEL
BOWSER JOINING ME NOW.
WE JUST HEARD THE CLIP, OF
COURSE YOU WERE WITH HIM AT THE
TOWN HALL MEETING.
I WAS WATCHING IT LIVE.
OUR POLICE COMMISSIONER, ROBERT
CONTE.
I SAW YOU BRUSHING AWAY A TEAR
AT ONE POINT, MADAM MAYOR.
ITS JUST INTOLERABLE THAT A
CHILD ON A SCOOTER 6 YEARS OLD
WOULD BE GUNNED DOWN IN A
CROSSFIRE WITH THESE KILLER
GANGS OR WHOEVER THEY ARE.
DO WE KNOW ANYTHING MORE ABOUT
WHO DID THIS?
>> WELL, WE KNOW THAT OUR POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATING
THIS, THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATING
THIS.
WERE ASKING FOR THE PUBLICS
HELP.
WE KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WHO DID
THIS ARE KILLERS IN OUR
COMMUNITY AND WE AS A COMMUNITY
HAVE TO STAND AGAINST ANYBODY
WHO WILL USE A GUN AND WERE
FOCUSED ON FINDING THE
PERPETRATORS OF THIS VIOLENT
CRIME.
THIS 6-YEAR-OLD BABY IS NOT WITH
US ANYMORE.
ITS NOT A GAME AND WE HAVE TO
DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY LEADS ON THIS
OR ON WHATS HAPPENED OUTSIDE
NATS PARK?
>> THE POLICE HAVE ALREADY
LOCATED THE VEHICLE INVOLVED.
THEY CONTINUE TO INTERVIEW
WITNESSES.
THERES A $60,000 REWARD FOR
ANYONE WITH INFORMATION LEADING
TO THIS.
I ISSUED A STATEMENT WITH THE
WASHINGTON NATIONALS JUST
YESTERDAY, ALSO FOCUSED ON
MAKING SURE WERE TAKING ILLEGAL
GUNS OFF THE STREET AND MAKING
SURE THAT THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE
ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
I HAVE DIRECTED OUR POLICE CHIEF
TO USE ANY AND ALL OVERTIME
NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT
WERE NOT ONLY INCREASING
PRESENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
AROUND NATIONALS PARK, BUT IN
ALL OF OUR HOT SPOT AREAS.
>> THE COURTS RECENTLY HAVE
ACTUALLY BEEN RULING AGAINST
VOCAL ORDINANCES THAT CONTROL
GUNS.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THIS WHEN
THERE IS NO NATIONAL PUSH?
DONT YOU NEED HELP FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE?
>> WE NEED HELP FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE AND WEVE GOT SOME IN THE
FORM OF AN ATF TASK FORCE THAT
WERE PARTICIPATING IN THAT IS
MEANT TO STOP THE TRAFFICKING OF
GUNS INTO COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS.
WERE ALSO PUSHING FOR THE
ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
TO BE OPEN AND IN PERSON.
COVID HAS SHUT DOWN SOME OF OUR IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES RELATED TO
IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES RELATED TO
TRIALS IN OUR COURTS, AND OUR O
OFFENDER SUPERVISION AGENCIES,
AND WE NEED ALL OF THOSE
AGENCIES WILL BE OPEN IN PERSON
AND PROVIDING THEIR SERVICES AS
WELL.
>> SO REGARDING THE NATIONALS,
THIS WAS ON NATIONAL TELEVISION.
THIS IS A STADIUM WE ALL GO TO
ALL THE TIME.
ARE PEOPLE GOING TO BE AFRAID TO
GO TO THE BALLPARK BECAUSE OF
THESE GANGS OR WHOEVER THEY ARE
WHO ARE SHOOTING UP OUR STREETS?
>> WELL, WE KNOW THAT WEVE
WORKED WITH THE ORGANIZATION,
NOT ONLY OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT,
OUR HOMELAND SECURITY AGENCY,
BUT WELL BE WORKING HAND IN
HAND WITH THE NATIONALS.
WHAT OUR PRELIMINARY
INVESTIGATION SHOWS US, ANDREA,
IS THAT THIS INCIDENT, WHILE
TRAGIC, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
THE STADIUM OR THE PLAYERS OR
BASEBALL.
UNFORTUNATELY IT LOOKS LIKE TWO
VEHICLES ENGAGED IN SOME KIND OF
GUN PLAY, AND UNFORTUNATELY WHEN
PEOPLE USE GUNS, INNOCENT PEOPLE
CAN GET HURT.
SO WE WILL LOCATE THOSE VEHICLES
AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED AND
BRING THEM TO JUSTICE, AND IN
THE MEANTIME, WERE MAKING SURE
WE HAVE MAXIMUM COORDINATION
BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE
BALLPARK, AS WELL AS ENHANCED
POLICE PRESENCE.
>> THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION JUST
IN TERMS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
MOMENT OF THE INCIDENT, BECAUSE
PEOPLE WERE SCARED, PEOPLE
SITTING NEAR THE THIRD BASELINE
THOUGHT THEY WERE IN DANGER,
THEY THOUGHT THERE WAS AN ACTIVE
SHOOTER INSIDE THE PARK, SO THEY
STARTED RUNNING FOR EXITS, WHICH
WAS ARGUABLY THE WRONG THING TO
DO.
BUT SINCE THERE WERE STILL
SHOOTERS OUTSIDE THAT MIGHT HAVE
BEEN INVOLVED.
AND THEN FINALLY, I GUESS,
THROUGH THE P.A. SYSTEM THEY
STARTED EVACUATING PEOPLE
THROUGH THE OPPOSITE SIDE, JUST
BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH
CONFUSION INSIDE.
IS THERE A PROTOCOL THAT COULD
BE IMPROVED WHEN SOMETHING LIKE
THIS HAPPENS?
>> ABSOLUTELY, AND THATS THE
COMMUNICATION THATS HAPPENING
WITH US, AND NOT JUST WITH AT
NATIONALS STADIUM, BUT WELL
FOCUS ON ALL OF OUR ARENAS TO
MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS IN
COORDINATION WITH HOMELAND
SECURITY AND FOLLOWS THE BEST
PRACTICES.
IM GRATEFUL TO ALL OF THE
EMPLOYEES AND TEAM MEMBERS AT
NATIONALS PARK WHO ACTED IN THE
BEST WAY THAT THEY KNEW HOW TO
KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.
IM ALSO GRATEFUL TO OUR FIRST
RESPONDERS WHO RESPONDED TO
VICTIMS IN OUR POLICE
DEPARTMENT, WHO IS GOING TO BE
VERY AGGRESSIVE ABOUT FINDING
OUT WHO COMMITTED THESE CRIMES.
>> AND WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO
PARENTS OF FAMILIES WITH KIDS?
LOOK, ITS BEEN 90-DEGREE
WEATHER FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS ON
END, A LITTLE BETTER TODAY,
WORSE TOMORROW.
KIDS ARE OUTSIDE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DONT HAVE
AIR-CONDITIONING.
THERE ARE POWER SHORTAGES.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMBINED TO
PEOPLE HAVING THEIR CHILDREN ON
THE STREETS LATER AND LATER IN
THE EVENING, AFTER DARK EVEN.
SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS?
>> WELL, I SAY TO EVERYONE THAT
WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL CITY, WE
HAVE PARKS AND RECREATION
CENTERS AND SO MANY AMENITIES
FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY, AND WE ARE
VERY FOCUSED ON OUR PUBLIC
SAFETY AND WERE NOT GOING TO
LET ANY INCIDENT, EVEN AS TRAGIC
AS WHAT HAPPENED TO SWEET NAYA,
STOP US FROM LIVING IN OUR CITY.
BUT WE DO HAVE TO BE VERY
FOCUSED ON FINDING THE PEOPLE,
AND THERE ARE A FEW OF THEM, AND
FOCUS ON THE PLACES.
ALSO A FEW OF THEM THAT ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO A LACK OF A
SENSE OF SAFETY IN OUR TOWN, AND
WERE VERY COMMITTED TO GETTING
TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.
>> WELL, WE ARE THANKFUL TO YOU
AND TO COMMISSIONER CONTE AND
WHAT THE POLICE ARE DOING, AND
WE KNOW HOW SAFE AND WONDERFUL
OUR CITY IS.
THIS IS JUST A SHOCKING WAY THAT
IT WAS DISPLAYED WITH THE WHOLE
COUNTRY TO SEE IN A PLACE THAT HAS BEEN IMPROVING IN SAFETY.
HAS BEEN IMPROVING IN SAFETY.
BUT WE DO HAVE OVER 100