Two people have been shot after a gunman opened fire outside a restaurant in Washington, Evening Standard reports.

Chaos struck at around 8.20 pm on Thursday at the crossing of 14th and Riggs Street, around 1.5km from the White House.

Diners who sat outside were forced to flee when more than 20 shots were fired.

Witnesses said the gunman fled by car after shooting towards a Mexican restaurant in the Logan Circle area.
One man was hit in the arm and another in the chest, according to WUSA9. Both are “conscious and breathing” and remain in hospital.

Police believe one of the victims was the intended target of the attack.

Police Chief Robert Contee told how officers were able to respond to the attack “within five seconds” because they were already investigating another shooting in the area.

The number of assaults with a gun in Washington DC went up by 33 in the past year with 471 reports so far. Rates have been rising year on year since 2018, according to Washington DC crime data.

However, most of the city’s gun violence occurs in the poorer districts, in the North East and South East.

US President Joe Biden has vowed to combat gun crime with tighter restrictions on some weapons and stronger background checks.

He has previously described the issue as “an epidemic” and an international embarrassment”.

Many citizens see gun control laws as an infringement on their constitutional rights, where the right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment.

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