In D.C. neighborhoods with gun crime, residents want help

The friends in Southeast Washington were gathered on the steps of their apartment complex enjoying the summer night when police swarmed.

At about midnight, more than 20 officers — representing D.C. police and at least three federal agencies — surrounded the Black teenagers and young men outside.

There were no blaring sirens or flashing lights, said Vincent Tyree, a 33-year-old father who lives in the neighborhood and witnessed the scene. The officers did not say why they were there, Tyree said, but pointed flashlights and began asking questions. Some people pulled out their phones and hit record.

Their video of the August incident at the Renaissance Homes apartment complex — which showed one person handcuffed then released without explanation, one officer pulling his gun, and another sw