'Violence interrupter' trainee gunned down in nation's capital while leaving program's office originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A man working to curb the escalation of gun violence in Washington, D.C. was shot to death as he left his anti-violence training program, prompting a manhunt for his killer, friends of the victim and police said on Sunday.
was gunned down Friday afternoon outside the headquarters of The Alliance for Concerned Men, a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth avoid the type of street crime that claimed his life, an official with the program told ABC News." data-reactid="18">Clarence Venable, 40, was gunned down Friday afternoon outside the headquarters of The Alliance for Concerned Men, a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth avoid the type of street crime that claimed his life, an official with the program told ABC News.
"We know his death will not be in vain. It's going to encourage all of us to do better," said Clayton Rosenberg, an official with The Alliance for Concerned Men.Rosenberg said Venable began training three weeks ago to become a "violence interrupter" with "Cure the Streets," a pilot program launched in 2018 by the attorney general for the District of Columbia to prevent violence in some of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the nation's capital.
The program enables nonprofits like The Alliance for Concerned Men to hire and train people like Venable to foster peace in the communities they live in.
website for the attorney general in the district." data-reactid="33">"The program hires and trains neighborhood residents who are credible in their community to work as 'violence interrupters,' who work to de-escalate violent situations and prevent crime before it occurs," according to the website for the attorney general in the district.
Venable had just finished his training session when he left the alliance's headquarters on Debois Place Southeast in the Greenway neighborhood of the district at about 2 p.m. and was shot multiple times just feet from the front door, according to police.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Venable's killer, who remained at large and unidentified on Sunday, police said.
"We understand that this happened, but we're not going to live in fear. We have to keep doing this because we have so many people who are depending on us," Rosenberg said.
(MORE: Man arrested in murder of community activist found dead in trunk of car: Police)" data-reactid="38">(MORE: Man arrested in murder of community activist found dead in trunk of car: Police)
Like most of the people accepted to train as violence interrupters, Venable had a troubled past, Rosenberg said.
Poster Comment:
Meanwhile, 38,000,000 rifle toting white guys took to the woods this week and the only fatalities resulted in freezers stocked with venison.