Raymond Spencer, the 23-year-old suspect in the DC shooting, was found dead in a bathroom located on the fifth-floor in an apartment building on the 2900 block of Van Ness St. Prior to his death, Spencer had posted the graphic video of shootout on the message board website 4chan.
The shootout at Van Ness Street, NW on Friday left four people, including a 12-year-old girl, injured. The condition of the victims including the child is being described as stable.
Who was Spencer Targeting?
The graphic video that was originally posted by Spencer on 4Chan subsequently found its way to other social media platforms. It shows random shootout taking place from what appears to be window of a building as people are seen running away in the street below.
According to multiple reports, the victims included a 54-year-old male, a mid-30s female, a 12-year-old girl, and a woman in her mid-60s who was grazed in the upper back by a bullet.
Though the motive of the shootout was not clear, the Edmund Burke School and campus of the nearby University of the District of Columbia, which were in close vicinity of the shootout, were immediately closed down by the authorities.
A user named Spencer also posted a series of messages on 4Chan following the shootout. "School", "License", "Dear God Please Forgive Me."
"They're in the wrong part of the building searching," read another message. "Waiting for police to catch up with me," read one of the messages.
Did the Shooter Commit Suicide?
While releasing the photos and name of the suspect, the DC police tweeted, "MPD is seeking the below person of interest in connection to the shooting in the 2900 block of Van Ness Street, NW. This individual is 23 year-old Raymond Spencer of Fairfax, Virginia."
Later, addressing a press conference, Washington assistant police chief Stuart Emerman said that they would like to speak to Mr Spencer, see if he has any role in this. "And hopefully that will lead us to understand what happened here and why," added Emerman.
Fox 5 reported that following the shootout, the police rushed to the scene and started evacuating residents from the nearby local apartment buildings. A combing operation was launched in the area to flush out the suspected shooter.
According to the outlet, the MPD reported that Spencer took his own life in a fifth-floor bathroom in an apartment building located on the 2900 block of Van Ness St.
