Two people stabbed and one shot during WorldPride parade
Two youths were stabbed a man shot during World Pride (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Two youths were stabbed a man shot during World Pride (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Two people were stabbed and another shot during the march at WorldPride in Washington DC at the weekend.
WorldPride, a global celebration of the LGBTQ+ community held in a different cities worldwide each year, took place in the US capital between 23 May and 8 June despite calls for a boycott from some queer groups in the face of anti-trans polices of the Trump administration and a travel warning issued by organisers.
According to police reports, officers were called Dupont Circle park at around 7pm on Saturday (7 June), and found two boys, aged 15 and 16, had been stabbed. Both taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
In a separate incident close by, about an hour later, a man was shot in the foot. He was also taken to hospital and is expected to survive.
Sydney Willis, who works at restaurant in the area, told The Washington Post that people were a “little alarmed” by the incidents but “it calmed down relatively quickly”, adding: “I get upset because Pride should be fun, everybody hugging and kissing and drinking responsibly.
“Everybody was dancing, having a good time. Then, it wasn’t fun anymore.”
It remains unclear whether the attacks were linked to the Pride celebrations and no arrests have been made.
The incidents come after discussions about whether the park would remain open at the weekend for WorldPride, after the National Park Service shut the gathering spot at the request of police over concerns about potential crimes. The area was fenced off in the days leading up to the parade but the fences were removed on Saturday.
A spokesperson for mayor Muriel Bowser said: “We want this weekend to be a safe and fun celebration in our nation’s capital, one that includes one of the best parks and community spaces in our city, Dupont Circle.”
The closure had been criticised because of the area’s association with LGBTQ+ history.
Vincent Slatt, a member of the ANC Rainbow Caucus, said: “This is [an] historic site. This is the gay neighbourhood. We had our first Aids vigils here in 1983. To close this off and rip it out of the heart of the gay community during WorldPride is pretty shocking.”
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