Father accused of shooting mother of 1-year-old, taking their child in SE DC Saturday

WASHINGTON (7News) — A man was accused of shooting a woman and taking the 1-year-old baby they had together in D.C. on Saturday night.

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrived at the Ainger Place Apartments on the 2400 block of Ainger Place, SE, around 8:52 p.m. Saturday, when they found an adult woman suffering from a gunshot wound.

She was conscious and breathing, and first responders took her to a hospital, according to MPD.

However, officers soon learned the suspect, an adult man, left the scene with the 1-year-old child he had with the woman who was shot.

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The man returned to the scene with the baby, who was unharmed.

Police found a gun at the scene and arrested the man, charging him with assault with Intent to Kill (Gun), officers said.

Stephen Williams lives near where the shooting happened, and told 7News he is saddened to learn this family has been torn apart by gun violence.

“It’s always sad, man. Trust me, if you’re a parent, a grandparent, it’s always sad when somebody gets hurt,” Williams said.

7News’ cameras were rolling as the apartment complex’s parking lot was lit up by the flashing lights of police cars and an ambulance.

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7News cameras captured a moment when an officer was taking a teddy bear to the ambulance, possibly to comfort the child who had gone through this ordeal.

MPD arrested and charged a man accused of shooting a woman Saturday night. Police also say he took their 1-year-old child away, before returning the infant unharmed. Here, you can see an officer take a teddy bear to an ambulance. (7News)

“It’s always about the kid because they didn’t ask to come here and I’m 100 % sure the mother who carried it for nine months ain’t expect to get hurt so she can’t raise or nurture her offspring,” Williams said.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who is the city’s top prosecutor, recently spoke exclusively with 7News’ Josh Chapin.

She said domestic violence not only has deep impacts within families, but also throughout communities.

“Violence is learned behavior. And when you learn that behavior in the home, your children are growing up to repeat either what the father is doing or what the mother is doing,” Pirro told 7News.

According to MPD data, 27 of the 127 homicides in 2025 – or more than 21 % – were domestic-related.

Pirro told 7News her office is doing everything in its power to make sure domestic violence assaults do not escalate to murders.’

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“We get a prosecutor as soon as there’s an arrest to connect with the victim, we get a victim witness assistant who will work with the victim. We get a release from the victim for her medical records in the event she chooses not to testify later, I get the medical records that I can put in evidence,” Pirro said. “The most important thing we can do, given that the criminal justice system and the response is in place, is to get to the victim, is to get to the victim to let her know that we’re going to fight for you.”

While the legal process plays out for Saturday night’s shooting, Williams said it cannot just be the responsibility of police and prosecutors to fight domestic violence.

He said the community needs to play a role, too.

“We, as a people, have got to come together. We can pray, and we can work on it, and then we’ve got to ask ourselves, ‘Why,'” Williams said. “As long as we keep hurting each other, we can’t pour no water on a plant and expect for it to grow.”