Two men die in Capitol Hill double shooting, police say

Two men were fatally wounded in a double shooting on Capitol Hill Sunday night, according to D.C. police.

The victims were found in the 400 block of 11th Street SE, about 8:20 p.m. said police spokesman Paris Lewbel. One died at the scene and the other at a hospital, he said.

The slayings come at a time when homicides in the city are far outstripping the number from this time last year.

They also come as Congress has rejected a proposed revision to the city’s criminal code, in a move that appeared to indicate concern about crime here.

Information about the circumstances of Sunday night’s killings was not immediately available.

The site of the shootings is in a residential and commercial area, a few blocks east of Eastern Market, and about a mile southeast of the Capitol.

Little could be learned about the victims; it appeared that they were the first people slain in the city since Thursday.

As of Friday morning, police figures listed 43 homicide victims in the city this year compared with 33 at the same time last year.

Initial reports suggested a third person had been wounded, but Vito Maggiolo, spokesman for the fire department, indicated that the possible victim had been injured in a car crash, and had not been shot.

All of the victims may have been in a car that crashed, authorities said.