A 25-year-old Kentucky man visiting the District died early July 5 after he was shot on Alumni Drive on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Northeast Washington, D.C.
The Metropolitan Police Department identified the victim as Maxwell Emerson of Crestwood, Kentucky. Various news accounts say the man, who was a teacher, was in the District to celebrate the Fourth of July and to attend a professional development workshop at the Library of Congress.
According to D.C. police, officers responded shortly after 8 a.m. to a report of a shooting at the plaza in front of Father O’Connell Hall on the CUA campus and found Emerson. D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported Emerson to a nearby hospital where he died.
Authorities said that Emerson and the suspect in the shooting were known to each other and that the shooting was not a random act. Neither Emerson nor the suspect had any connection to CUA.
CUA issued this statement after the shooting:
“We are aware that there was an incident of violence that resulted in a fatality this morning at Catholic University. There is no present danger to the University community.
“We are working with the Metropolitan D.C. police department to determine what happened. According to MPD, it is believed that the two individuals involved knew each other and this was not a random incident.
“MPD is continuing their investigation and we will continue to update the community.
“We ask that you pray for the victim who died and law enforcement who are determining what occurred.”
In a July 5 open letter to the CUA community, Peter Kilpatrick, president of the university, noted that despite the incident, “the campus community was not in danger, and classes and activities continued as scheduled.
“While we thank God no campus community members were hurt in this incident, we pray for the individual who senselessly lost his life. Every human life is made in the image and likeness of God, and we pray for the end of such violence and to help build up a culture that treasures all life,” Kilpatrick wrote. “We are a safe campus but we are not immune from the impacts of violence. I can assure you that we are vigilant and prepared to reduce our vulnerability to violence and to keep our community as safe as possible.”
D.C. police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch has asked that anyone with information about this homicide to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information can be submitted by testing a message to 50411.
