'Wrong mix of people' says police as boy killed, three wounded in Washington concert shooting

• A teen was shot dead at a "Moechella" concert.
• Police seized two illegal firearms before the shooting.
• More than 20 000 people have died from firearm violence in the US since the start of the year.

A 15-year-old boy was killed and three other people, including a police officer, were wounded in a shooting after a concert in Washington Sunday night, the local police chief said.

The shooting was preceded by two other incidents which caused panic at the unpermitted "Moechella" concert celebrating Juneteenth, with several people injured while running away, DC police chief Robert Contee told reporters.

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Police then shut down the sidewalk concert on safety grounds but shortly afterward, despite a heavy police presence, the shooting occurred nearby in which the boy was killed, Contee said.

He said:

The officer and two other wounded people were recovering in hospital, he added.

There was no exchange of fire and the gun used had not been recovered, Contee said.

Thousands of gun control advocates join the 'March for Our Lives' as they protest against gun violence during a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

AFP Saul Loeb, AFP

It was not clear if the teenager was targeted, but before the incident police had seized two illegal firearms nearby and were chasing another individual with an illegal firearm, the police chief said.

"There's a theme that you see here: illegal firearms in the hands of people who should not have them make events like this unsafe for people who just want to enjoy the beautiful weather, who want to enjoy Father's Day, who want to enjoy our city. This is unacceptable," he said.

Contee added:

The US is in the midst of a particularly gruesome chapter in its epidemic of gun violence. 

The most fatal incident in this stretch was a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead on 24 May.

Since the start of the year more than 20 000 people have died from firearm violence in the US, according to an NGO called the Gun Violence Archive. 

This includes deaths by suicide.

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