Teen Arrested in Shooting That Injured 3 at Benning Road Metro Station

Three people were shot on the platform at Benning Road Metro station in Northeast D.C. Thursday morning (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
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The teen shot a 15-year-old boy in the thigh during a fight, police said. A woman and another teen boy were also injured

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in a shooting that injured three people at the Benning Road Metro station in Northeast D.C. Thursday, and police say he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the arrest.

The teen took out a gun and shot a 15-year-old boy in the thigh during a fight at the Metro station, police said. The boy was in critical condition, but is now expected to recover, police said Friday.

Two bystanders sitting on a nearby bench — another 15-year-old boy and a 34-year-old woman — were also shot. They are also expected to recover.

Metro Transit Police arrested the teen suspect in Northwest D.C. Friday afternoon, police said. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder and carrying a pistol without a license.

Police did not say what prior crime he was accused of in which he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor.

On Thursday, police said there were a group of teens involved, but said Friday that no additional suspects were wanted in the shooting.

The shooting happened less than 24 hours after an off-duty FBI agent shot and killed someone during a fight at the Metro Center station, police said. The sound of gunshots sent terrified passengers fleeing, which one rider compared to a scene out of a zombie apocalypse movie.

“Gun violence is tragic, infuriating, and unfortunately all too common in our society today. I commend MTPD for their quick work apprehending this suspect,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said. “Metro has an extensive network of surveillance cameras that allow us to quickly identify perpetrators of violence and bring them to justice, and MTPD has dramatically increased its presence on rail and bus in the past several months to keep customers safe.” 

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said Thursday the shootings on Metro platforms are the result of the “gun problem in America.”

“I’m really tired of it,” Clarke said, expressing frustration and sadness about the calls he’s fielded after violent incidents. “The biggest thing in this job is, what happens when you get a phone call when one of your employees or customers gets killed?”