Police investigate shooting near Nats Park 1 day after home opener

WASHINGTON — DC Police are investigating a shooting near Nats Park, just 24 hours after the first pitch of the Nationals 2023 home opener.

According to the police department, officers were called to the 1400 block of Canal Street, Southwest for a report of a shooting around 1:11 p.m.  

Officers responding to the scene found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was conscious and breathing when he was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

His condition hasn't been released. 

Police have not provided any suspect information nor have they said what led up to the shooting.

The 1400 Block of Canal Street, Southwest is closed in all directions until further notice. Drivers are being told to find an alternate routes and follow all police traffic instructions.

This is a developing story. Stick with WUSA9 for updates as they become available.

The neighborhood around Nationals Park has not been spared from the crime concerns plaguing the District. Now, area business leaders are working to increase the number of DC Police even on days there isn’t a game.

“There was some concern that there had been two high profile targeted shootings, murders that occurred here,” said Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District President Michael Stevens

DC Police stats show violent crime in a three-quarter mile radius around Nationals Park up is up 7% in the past two years. Theft is up 21%, robbery is up 44%, and vehicle theft is up 102%.

On gamedays extra police patrols outside of Nationals Park, paid for by the team, adds an extra layer of safety and security for people who live and work in Navy Yard. Now Capitol Riverfront BID is working to add more DC Police officers on non-game days as concerns about violence in the area grow.

That’s why Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District decided to take part in a city-run program to hire more police. It will pay for two, two-person foot patrols to keep watch over Navy Yard on nights there’s no baseball game.

The Nationals use the same program to provide added DC Police patrols on game days and game nights.

Part of the cost to pay the officers OT is reimbursed by the District, but signing up for those shifts is voluntary. And so far, Stevens says only about 50% of those patrols are being filled.

“I think they are so stretched thin, and crime is across the city,” Stevens said.

The Nationals would not comment on whether it was adding extra police patrols around the stadium on game days, beyond what it had in previous seasons. The team said it does not talk about security operations.

Earlier in March, Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced it was using the same city-run program to add additional officers around Capitol One arena, on game nights.