A National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday night while intervening in a sidewalk fight in Southeast Washington’s Eastern Market neighborhood, and the suspected shooter was wounded in return fire, police said Monday. The shooting occurred at approximately 11:10 p.m. on October 18 in the 400 block of 8th Street SE. Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said seven or eight National Guard members were monitoring the fight from a parked vehicle when they exited to intervene.
Police said a person involved in the altercation drew a firearm and began shooting. The person ran into an alley, and Guard members ordered the person to drop the weapon. Police said the person then pointed the weapon toward the Guard members, who returned fire. One Guard member was struck in the leg and the suspected shooter was wounded in the abdomen.
Both were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Carroll said. Police said the suspect was arrested. Neither person was identified in initial accounts from authorities. Carroll told reporters that the Guard members left their vehicle after observing the fight on the sidewalk.
Once gunfire began and the individual entered the alley, the troops issued commands to drop the firearm. According to police, the person pointed the weapon at the Guard members, who then returned fire. Officials have not determined which Guard member’s shot struck the suspect. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the incident.
D.C. Council member Charles Allen called for a 96-hour emergency closure of Cafe 8, citing previous disturbances associated with the establishment. Allen’s request is a proposal from a local official. Police have not confirmed any connection between the business and the shooting, and there has been no independent verification that a closure order has been issued or implemented.
National Guard members have been deployed to Washington since August 2025 as part of a federal effort to support local law enforcement through presence patrols, security at monuments and facilities, and other assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department. The troops involved in Sunday’s incident were part of that ongoing presence. The shooting remains a specific case under investigation by local police. The Metropolitan Police Department investigation continues.
No further findings or charges beyond the arrest of the wounded suspect have been announced. Both individuals were reported to be hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
