A Howard community member was robbed at gunpoint more than two weeks ago, according to a police report and a Howard Department of Public Safety (DPS) crime alert. This crime marked the third assault on a Howard community member near campus in January, according to crime alert emails.
The crime alert said a robbery occurred on Jan. 28 at approximately 4:30 p.m. on the 2400 block of 6th Place NW, near the Howard Mackey Building. The police report says the person was robbed of several belongings, including a $1,000 Moose Knuckles jacket, an iPhone 14, Airpods, a Howard ID and keys.
The person was walking back to his dormitory when approached by an individual riding a scooter. The person came from the side and “brandished” a handgun from his right jacket pocket, the report says.
The suspect demanded the person to hand over all his belongings. He said, “Give me everything,” according to the police report.
This is the seventh assault on a Howard University community member since Aug. 14, according to DPS crime alerts. These assaults include reported robberies, armed robberies, attempted robberies and shootings.
A Jan. 8 crime alert says that two Howard community members were assaulted on the 500 block of Gresham Place, NW, which is near Charles R. Drew Hall. Their shoes, cell phones, jackets and iPhones were taken, according to a police report, which also says they were robbed at gunpoint.
Director of Emergency Management and Safety Ariel Triplett said that because the Jan. 28 investigation is still open, the DPS cannot officially confirm whether or not the person robbed was a student.
Triplett confirmed that this incident occurred near the same location as Nov. 20’s armed robbery, though the DPS will not be increasing police presence in that area. She said there has been an increase in crime in the district in general, and that the DPS will work towards keeping the entire campus safe.
According to Deputy DPS Chief Alvin Lide, the DPS is in constant contact with community leaders and the district to prevent further crimes on or near campus.
In a statement given to The Hilltop by Triplett and Lide, they discuss the goals and steps taken by DPS to ensure a safe campus.
“The Howard University Department of Public Safety is always working with our community as well as our local partners, and we aim to make sure this place is safe, that everyone feels comfortable, that you can go to class, that people can go to work and that you can leave here better than you came,” the statement said.
The statement continued, “We know that it is not easy, and we know that the world is changing so we hope that as the university works with DPS, we hope that we can make some changes and work together.”
Howard students described feeling “uneasy” about the recent crime occurring near campus.
Nykeria Hopson, a freshman legal communications major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, expressed that the crime has caused her to be extremely cautious.
“I feel like I have to watch my surroundings no matter what time of day it is, no matter where I’m going, I feel like I can’t always like be too careful,” she said.
Nyla Williams, a freshman psychology major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, shared similar feelings regarding the recent crime alerts, stating that she would like to see the same awareness with the police on campus.
“They’ll have campus police cars parked around but I don’t see no police, or if I do see them, they’re not being productive,” she said.
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
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