Domestic Dispute Turns Deadly As 2 Women Shot Dead, Apartment Set Ablaze With Infant Inside

A person fatally shot two women inside a Washington apartment and then set it on fire with a 3-month-old baby inside.

Another woman was also shot outside the residence. The police and firefighters rushed to the apartment Monday night after receiving reports of a fire. The authorities found the third woman unconscious with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the apartment. The officials rushed to the third floor and found the infant alive. They rescued the baby and quickly put out the fire, NBC News reported.

The officers then found the two women, 48-year-old Wanda Wright and her daughter Ebony Wright, 32, with gunshot wounds inside the apartment. The police said the victims were shot in the head. While one of them was pronounced dead at the scene, the other woman succumbed to injuries at the hospital. The women are believed to be the baby’s mother and grandmother. It wasn’t clear if the women resided in the apartment where the incident took place, Washington Post reported.

Speaking to the media Tuesday, Ashan Benedict, the D.C. executive assistant police chief, said the incident appeared to have stemmed from a domestic dispute. He said the suspect shot the victims before setting the apartment on fire and fleeing the scene. It wasn’t clear why the suspect shot the third woman, whose connection with the victims was not known.

The officer said the suspect remained on the run as of Tuesday and efforts were being made to trace the person. An investigation was ongoing and the motive behind the crime was not known.

The third victim was treated at a local hospital and her injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. The infant was unharmed.

The incident comes a day after a man from North Carolina held a woman and 2-year-old toddler hostage in a hotel room in Florida for more than eight hours and attempted to set the room on fire. The suspect also opened fire at SWAT team members before surrendering himself to the authorities. He was taken into custody and charged with false imprisonment and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.