US National Guard member shot in leg during fight in Washington DC; suspect wounded in gunfire exchange

A US National Guard member was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight in Washington, DC, on Sunday night. The suspected shooter was also wounded in an exchange of gunfire with Guard members, police said Monday.The incident took place around 11.10 pm on Sunday in the Eastern Market neighbourhood of southeast Washington, when seven or eight National Guard members stationed in a parked van heard a fight unfolding on a sidewalk.The Guard members got out of the vehicle to intervene when a person involved in the altercation pulled out a gun and began firing, interim Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters.The suspect then ran into an alley, where Guard members ordered the person to drop the weapon. However, the individual pointed the gun towards the service members, prompting them to return fire, Carroll said.One National Guard member was struck in the leg, while the suspect was shot in the abdomen. Both were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.Three Guard members fired their weapons during the encounter. The suspect was arrested, and the police department is investigating the shooting.Carroll said there was no further threat to the community and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the police.Trump's National Guard deployment in WashingtonUS President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington in August 2025 as part of a crime-fighting initiative. The force, which reached around 5,000 troops at its peak over the summer, has supported arrests, patrolled neighbourhoods and participated in city clean-up efforts.The Republican administration has credited the deployment with helping reduce crime in the capital. However, crime had already been declining before the Guard arrived.Officials, activists and residents in the predominantly Democratic city have criticised the deployment, arguing that it wastes taxpayer money and normalises the militarisation of an American city.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.