Third shooting in City of Washington in just two weeks has residents, students on alert

WASHINGTON, Pa. — Washington and Jefferson College is warning its students to avoid North Main Street after recent violence in the area.

Officials are asking students to stay away from the area after dark.

“That’s so scary. We live walking distance from the college…that’s really scary,” Lacie McDonald told Channel 11.

McDonald just learned about the third shooting in the City of Washington within the last two weeks.

Two of those shootings happened in the heart of downtown Washington on North Main Street.

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And in October, another shooting in an alley off of North Main killed a 20-year-old man and injured a second person.

“That’s really scary. It breaks my heart and makes my heart pound right now,” she said.

The most recent shooting was last night, when police say a man named William Coles opened fire inside his apartment after having a mental health episode.

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Those shots fired prompted Washington and Jefferson College to issue a warning to their students that said in part, “We are advising everyone to avoid North Main Street after dark, as the potential risk associated with being near the affected area is not worth the added risk of exposure.”

“We have a college here, we have kids walking around! We need to feel safe and the city to feel safe,” Renee Gordon told Channel 11.

Gordon owns Soup’d Up cafe, a block away from North Main Street, and she’s also concerned about the future of her business.

“I’m deeply troubled because I’m trying to have a cute, wholesome soup shop here in Washington. And every weekend, I’m finding more and more violence, and it’s increasing.

Another worry she has is this Friday’s upcoming Christmas parade that goes through downtown.

It’s scary, we have a parade coming up and a lot of people coming into the city to celebrate Christmas and be a community. This is putting a wedge in between the fun and what we’re trying to do here," she said.

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