By LILLIAN GLAROS and KIT SLACK
A community walk with Ward 2 residents and Hyattsville police will take place June 18 at 6:30pm, starting at the entrance of Dietz Park, which is on the 4100 Block of Oliver Street, adjacent to the Queensbury Park Apartments.
Sunday June 1, around 5:40 pm. the Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) responded to multiple 911 calls for shots fired at 40th Avenue and Oliver Street.
According to HPD Chief Jarod Towers, the incident did not result in any known injuries. However, a bullet struck a car, according to Towers and the vehicle’s owner.
Police officers retrieved a firearm, according to Towers. The police also stopped a vehicle that was leaving the area. All people in the vehicle were released.
The incident is currently under active investigation, Towers said.
Dozens of community members gathered at a June 5 meeting at the Hyattsville Municipal Building to talk about the incident with city officials.
Multiple people said there had been issues in the area before.
Dominique Stephenson, who lives near the incident and attended the meeting, told the Life & Times she heard yelling while in her car. Once she was inside she heard shots fired. One of the bullets was lodged in her car.
“I’ve never grown up in a neighborhood like that,” Stephenson said. “I’ve never been involved in anything similar to that, so to be that close to anything like that physically happening to me was just extremely scary.”
Another neighbor said she was driving by as the incident occured. The woman, who asked that her name not be used because of safety concerns, said she heard gunshots, and also saw several men driving and running east and west on Oliver Street. The woman said the incident was terrifying, and that her children were near the shooting.
“I know everyone here tonight, whether they have children or [are] just a member of this community, are now fearing for their lives and for their neighbors’ lives, and that’s not a place that we want to be in as a community in Hyattsville,” she said.
Towers told The Hyattsville Life & Times that a community walk with Ward 2 residents has been scheduled for June 18 at 6:30 to learn about issues the area is facing, which they can then use to develop strategies.
The Life & Times analyzed crime data in the area since 2023, and found three similar incidents within blocks of the intersection where shots were fired June 2.
The HPD described the prior incidents on Facebook as follows:
