3 women shot in D.C., 2 fatally, apartment set on fire with baby inside, police say

Authorities in Washington, D.C., were searching for a person who shot three women, two of them fatally, before lighting an apartment on fire with a newborn inside, police said Monday.

Ashlan Benedict, executive assistant chief of the Washington, D.C., police, speaks to the media in Washington on Monday.Twitter/D.C. police

The shootings and the fire appeared to be connected to a “domestic incident,” Ashlan Benedict, executive assistant chief of the Washington police, told reporters

The condition of the 3-month-old, who was taken to a hospital, wasn’t immediately clear.

Benedict said firefighters responded to a third-floor apartment in the city’s southeast section around 7:30 p.m. They found a woman who had been shot outside the unit, he said.

Two more women were inside with the baby, he said, adding that he believed firefighters rescued the child and quickly extinguished the blaze.

Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Benedict said. Authorities believe the fire was set as the attacker was leaving the apartment, he said.

No description of the suspect was given, and potential connections to the victims remain unclear, he said.

source: nbcnews.com