WASHINGTON — A running scuffle between two groups of youths erupted into gunfire at the crowded National Zoo, leaving an 11-year-old boy brain dead and six other young people recovering from gunshot wounds.
The popular tourist attraction, which was crowded with thousands of people celebrating the black family when the shooting occurred Monday afternoon, was closed Tuesday as police continued their investigation.
Police Chief Charles Ramsey said that officers know who they are looking for. A police source who asked not to be identified said there is no evidence that more than one shooter was involved. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People posted a $25,000 reward.
Police said they were investigating whether the shootings were gang related and sought at least one teenage gunman who fired a handgun into groups of youths after a confrontation escalated to bottle throwing and then shots.
"Whether it's officially a gang activity or not, the fact of the matter is that there were two groups of youth who were scuffling, who were fighting throughout the afternoon, and as all too often happens, had ready access to guns and the results speak for themselves," Mayor Anthony Williams said Tuesday on "The Early Show" on CBS.
The shooting victims ranged in age from 11 to 16 and were attending a century-old post-Easter gathering to celebrate black families.
Police said the seventh victim, a teenager, showed up at a hospital overnight for treatment of a gunshot wound to the thumb.
A police official said the most severely wounded victim, the 11-year-old boy, was shot in the head and declared brain dead at a hospital. The boy's heart and lungs were being kept functioning by machines to allow his family to donate his organs, the official said.
Officials at Children's Hospital National Medical Center, where the boy was being treated, would say only that he remained in very critical condition.
A 12-year-old girl was in serious condition with a wound to the pelvis, a 14-year-old boy was in serious condition with a leg wound, and three other youths were hospitalized with less serious injuries, according to officials at the hospitals where they were treated. Another person in the vicinity of the melee suffered a seizure and a pregnant woman was taken to the hospital after experiencing abdominal pain.
The 111-year-old zoo, a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, is one of the most-visited sites in Washington, drawing 3 million local residents and tourists each year. Nestled on 163 acres in one of Washington's wealthiest neighborhoods, it has seldom experienced violence and was better known for the rare Chinese pandas it housed for over two decades.
Susanna Wurminen, 20, a zoo volunteer from Sweden, arrived for work this morning to find news crews gathered and a sign alerting visitors that the grounds were closed today. Two bunches of flowers lay on the sidewalk outside the gate.
Wurminen, on a five-week stay in Washington, was surprised to hear of the shootings.
"Nothing like this would happen in Sweden," she said. "That happens in the pubs in Sweden but never in the zoo."
The gunfire broke out shortly after 6 p.m. EDT in broad daylight and stunned visitors.
"I am not bringing them back. These are my grandkids. It is not safe," said Sandra Edwards, who was visiting the zoo with her grandchildren when she heard the shots and saw youths fighting.
Edwards said she thought some of the teen-agers appeared to be gang members, because they wore matching clothing. For instance, she said one group of teens all wore blue bandanas.
Nakisha Johnson, 17, said she saw one young man open fire after a feud between youths became violent. She said the children who were wounded were caught in the middle of the two groups.
"He was just shooting at the people he was fighting" but struck the children bystanders, Johnson said.
Witnesses said the shooting occurred when a bottle was thrown from one group of youths at some other youths in a crowd near the zoo gate. A piece of glass struck a young woman in the face, and then shots rang out, the witnesses said.
"Everybody started grabbing their babies and running," said Kristyl Nelson, 14.
Vice President Al Gore announced the shootings about an hour after they occurred, while he was attending a Democratic fund-raiser in New York City. The news brought gasps from the audience.