The incident occurred just before 4 p.m., just after area schools were closed for the day. Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) said in X Trains were temporarily detoured around the station. The Catholic university told students on its main campus, about a 10-minute walk from a subway station, to shelter in place “due to an active threat,” according to the university's website.
The dead teenager was the second boy killed in the area so far this year, and the first homicide reported inside the station. In 2023, the deadliest year in the area since 1997, there was a spike in violence on the subway and among children and teens.
Washington's public safety leaders have vowed to reverse the trend and passed a bill overhauling the public safety law that would create harsher penalties and give police more power. As part of an effort to curb crime, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has vowed to increase police presence at certain subway stations in the city.
Transit agency spokeswoman Shelly Lee said armed and trained security officers, known as special officers, were at the Brookland station Thursday afternoon when the shooting occurred. Metro is recruiting special police officers to augment the Metro Police force.
So far this year, homicides in the city are down 32 percent compared to the same period in 2023, according to the latest police data.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
