5 Injured, Including College Student and 13-Year-Old Boy, in Shooting Near Howard University amid Homecoming Weekend By Charlotte Phillipp

Five people were injured in a shooting near Howard University in Washington, D.C., and two suspects have been taken into custody.

According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), officers were called to Howard Place NW — just outside of the Howard campus — at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 24. They located five victims: three men, one woman and a teenage boy, all of whom were “conscious and breathing.”

DC Fire and EMS responded to the scene and transported the victims to area hospitals, per the MPD’s statement.

The MPD told DC News Now, NBC Washington and The Washington Post that although none of the victims were Howard University students, one of them was a student at Morgan State University. Officials said the teenage victim was 13 years old.

Two people — whose identities have not been made public — were taken into custody, and three weapons were recovered, the MPD said in their statement. One suspect tried to run from the scene, but was caught in a nearby McDonald’s parking lot, the outlets reported.

Howard University and Morgan State University’s football teams are set to play each other on Saturday for Howard’s homecoming weekend.

Howard said in a statement on Saturday that the shooting was not affiliated with the school and no students, faculty or staff were involved. The university noted that the incident seemingly began with a confrontation between two people.

“HUPD [Howard University Police Department] has implemented enhanced security measures throughout the weekend, including an increased presence of University security and personnel and local law enforcement agencies on and around campus to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all,” the university said.

“The University appreciates the swift and coordinated response of MPD and HUPD officers, whose actions helped protect the safety of our community,” Howard added.

Morgan State did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information.

Witnesses who were present during the shooting recalled hearing yelling and gunshots.

“All we heard was yelling,” one man told DC News Now, adding, “We can’t do nothing in D.C. … This happens every time there’s a function in D.C., especially homecoming. D.C. [is] dangerous.”

Another witness, identified as Jaiden Ramirez, told the outlet he was playing basketball nearby when he saw three men run across the street yelling — before six to seven gunshots went off.

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“We panicked, we ran inside, and then we came outside 30 minutes after,” Ramirez recalled. “We were not trying to get shot.”

During a Friday night press conference, MPD Chief Pamela Smith urged D.C. residents to “put the guns down.”

“We need folks to put these guns down in our city,” she said, per NBC4 Washington. “We’re not going to tolerate individuals coming into our town with firearms.”