Psaki weighs in on DC shooting by restaurant Biden visited

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday weighed in on recent high-profile shootings in Washington, DC after a daytime riot on Thursday sent diners fleeing the restaurant. where President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently had dinner.

The dinnertime shooting on DC’s 14th Street, about a mile north of the White House, left bystanders, including prominent political journalists, who had circulated footage of the The shooting and the flight of the assassins injured two people.

“A lot of us live there or live in neighboring communities or know people who are on 14th Street or in surrounding areas – and for those who are not there, those who are watching or hearing this, people who aren’t from those neighborhoods, there’s a place there’s a lot of restaurants, a lot of people passing by, this is a pretty common part of the city that many of us live in, “Psaki said during her daily press conference.

Psaki says Biden’s recently announced effort to encourage cities to use federal funds hire more police amid rising violent crime and initiatives to curb the illegal gun trade are aimed at addressing such violence.

“We are just executing on our strategy, which is a multi-pronged effort to work with local leaders, including the Mayor. [Muriel] Bowser, who has been a great partner for us in this effort to address growing gun violence in cities around the country, including Washington. And the events of last week are just examples of that,” Psaki said.

Thursday night’s shooting occurred at an intersection adjacent to Le Diplomate, where Biden on May 31 has the first – and so far only – the president’s sit-down meal at a DC restaurant. CNN reporter Jim Acosta tweeted a video from the restaurant’s outdoor seating area, showing diners fleeing amid explosions of gunfire.

At the same intersection, a 53-year-old father of two works for the Peace Corps shot dead on June 29 when he was hit by a stray bullet while he and his wife went out to dinner.

Thursday night’s shooting was followed by a series of other high-profile shootings that worried residents. On Saturday night, a shooting outside a National Team baseball game injured 3 people and thousands of fans. scramble for shelter. One day ago, a six year old girl was shot dead nearby.

Psaki said that “the cornerstone of the president’s comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence is providing communities with the tools and resources they need to reduce gun crime, including in Washington DC.”

“DC is one of five regions nationwide where the DOJ launched a Gun Trafficking Strike Force just yesterday, which will force the focus of local law enforcement resources across jurisdictions. reason to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” Psaki said.

“Washington, DC, is also leveraging the historic funding they obtained through the rescue plan to enhance public safety. So Mayor Bowser’s budget proposal would invest $59 million from the rescue plan to reduce violent crime. It will add 100 new positions to the cadet program and an additional $14 million to youth safety initiatives. So we definitely see this and feel this even in our community here and that’s one of the cities that the DOJ is focused on. “