Hijacked Church Van Used in Fatal DC Shooting: Police

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — A stolen Prince George’s County church van was taken on a joyride by suspects who reportedly shot three people – one fatally -- at a Washington, D.C., bus stop, officials said.

The vehicle used by the shooting suspects was found Sunday night and is owned by Mount Ephraim Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, police said. Several people have keys to the van, said church officials, who didn’t realize the vehicle was missing.

The Metropolitan Police Department said the fatal shooting occurred about 1:16 p.m. Sunday in the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, Southeast. Officers found a woman at the scene who was struck by gunfire. She was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities said at a Monday press conference that the woman has not been identified.

A second shooting victim and a third person who was injured from shattered glass were both taken to local hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators believe at least two people were inside the vehicle when someone inside shot at a man and a woman sitting at a bus stop on Alabama Avenue SE, reports NBC Washington.

Investigators do not believe the shooting was a random attack.

The Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects responsible for this homicide. Call the police at (202) 727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.