A man was shot and killed in Washington, D.C., on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump announced that the federal government would take control of the city’s police department. The deadly shooting happened in the Logan Circle neighborhood, marking a grim first incident under the new federal authority.
According to Fox News, the Metropolitan Police Department said they found an adult man in the 1200 block of 12th Street NW around 7 PM. Officers discovered the man unconscious and not breathing, with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite attempts by D.C. Fire and EMS to save him at a nearby hospital, the victim was declared dead. Homicide detectives are now looking into the case.
Earlier that day, the president had announced that he was putting the D.C. police department under federal control, placing it under the authority of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. He also said he was sending about 800 National Guard troops to restore law, order, and public safety in the capital. This action is allowed under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which permits the president to place the police under federal authority for up to 30 days.
President Trump’s takeover of DC already oversaw someone getting killed
City leaders quickly pushed back against the federal takeover. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the president’s decision disturbing and unlike anything seen before. She admitted that given some of the past statements from the administration, the move was not entirely unexpected. The mayor promised D.C. residents that the city government would keep working in a way that would make them proud.
The D.C. City Council also released a statement, calling the temporary takeover an unnecessary overreach into local control. The council argued that taking over the police department was unjustified, saying there was no federal emergency. According to the council, violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at its lowest level in 30 years.
The statement also pointed out that the National Guard lacks experience in public safety. It noted, “Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard’s role does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.”
The council believed sending in the Guard was an unnecessary step with no clear purpose. Data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows a mixed picture of crime, with fewer homicides overall but a recent five-year stretch that had the highest number of killings since 2008. The fatal shooting in Logan Circle is a real-life example of the city’s challenges, no matter who is running its police force.
Published: Aug 12, 2025 03:30 pm