On a late Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C., a burst of gunfire shattered the peace at the Potomac Gardens housing complex. It was September 10, 2017, just before 6 p.m., when 24-year-old Carl Hardy was standing with friends in a courtyard in the 1200 block of I Street, SE. A vehicle that had been circling the neighborhood stopped and multiple armed individuals jumped out and began shooting into the crowd. More than 30 bullets were fired from assorted weapons, including an assault rifle. Hardy was struck, taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, and died on October 1, 2017, after several surgeries.

Investigators said the attack stemmed from a violent feud between rival neighborhood crews. Authorities identified Hardy as a member of a Potomac Gardens crew and believed the suspects were affiliated with a Wellington Park crew. A homeowner’s high-definition surveillance video captured the shooters fleeing and getting back into their vehicle, and police also located social media posts from a suspect that appeared to brag about the shooting. Within weeks, arrests were announced: 16-year-old Saquan Williams was arrested on October 26, 2017, and 17-year-old Quincy Garvin was arrested on November 2, 2017, both charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed.

What details about that evening or the neighborhood might help explain how such a large, brazen ambush unfolded?