Bullet Whizzes Past Man in Southwest Luxury Building
Update: Police said late Thursday, Feb. 19 that the man arrested Monday, Feb. 16 is suspected of firing a set of gunshots shortly after the separate set of shots that hit Sky House. The Sky House shooter was still on the loose as of Friday, Feb. 20, police said.
A Southwest resident was watching the evening news in his living room Monday night when a bullet flew just feet in front of him.
“It was like a lightbulb exploding,” the resident of the high-end building Sky House said today.
As Hill Now reported, the apartment tower at 1150 4th St. SW, just east of the Waterfront Metro station, was hit by gunfire about 10 p.m. Monday, police said and building management told residents in an email. A man with a gun at his feet was arrested in the alley of the 200 block of K Street SW, police said.
When the resident heard the pop that he thought was a burst lightbulb, he leapt up.
“Then, I realized the light was still on. And I noticed a hole in the blinds,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of a second incident. Behind the torn mini-blinds, he found a quarter-sized hole in the floor-to-ceiling window.
Building management spoke on Monday night with about seven residents whose apartments on the east side of Sky House were hit, the man, 42, said.
Five separate parties filed police reports with the First District about 10:30 p.m. Monday, Officer C.J. Smith said Wednesday night. Residents found bullets in their windows, walls and kitchen cabinets, causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to the reports. Police said Tuesday that no property was damaged by the gunfire.
The bullet holes in Sky House were patched with tape, and residents were told windows would be replaced in about three weeks, the man said.
JBG Companies did not immediately respond to an inquiry about window replacement on the east side of the building, which faces a private parking lot. A spokesman previously said the company is participating in the police investigation.
Overall crime is down in Police Service Area 105, which covers Southwest. The total number of crimes reported in the past year is 553, which is almost 5 percent lower than the 581 crimes reported the previous year, Metropolitan Police Department data shows.
Residents of Sky House — which has amenities including a rooftop pool — were offered free hotel rooms Monday and may be able to change apartments or break their leases. The man, who just moved from Colorado in September, said he hasn’t decided yet what he’ll do.
“I felt safe here until this happened,” he said. “Yesterday night, it was a little awkward. I didn’t stand by the windows much.”
Follow-up story:
Shooter Who Riddled Southwest Apartments With Bullets Still on the Loose
