Washington

The suspected shooter who injured four people in northwest Washington, D.C. on Friday afternoon has been found dead, local police said.

Robert Contee, chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters that they "believe the suspect took his own life" as officers were entering or breaching the apartment where he was located, reported Xinhua.

The police department tweeted in the evening that Raymond Spencer, 23, of Fairfax, Virginia, was identified as a person of interest.

Officers found six firearms, including long guns, and multiple rounds of ammunition "inside the fifth-floor apartment where the suspect was found deceased."

"This was very much a sniper-type set up with a tripod, and this person, obviously, his intent was to kill and hurt members of our community," Contee stressed, according to the news agency.

"It just appears that this person was just shooting at anyone who was out there randomly," he said, adding that the shooter was firing from north to south "definitely in excess of 20 rounds."

The shooting that took place at about 3:20 p.m. (1920 GMT) prompted a massive police response and school lockdowns. "MPD is responding to the 4100 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW for the report of at least 2 shooting victims. There is a large police presence in the area. Updates will follow," DC Police Department tweeted.

Officers in tactical gear could be seen running in the area, while others had their guns drawn as they evacuated residents of an apartment building on Van Ness Street NW.