Four people were killed in the District this weekend, bringing the 2019 total up to 18 homicides. It’s still early in the year, but that’s an 80 percent increase from this time last year, according to MPD data.

D.C. police and Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference on Sunday to brief the public on the murders, including a triple homicide in Southeast.

Three men were killed in the 1500 block of Fort Davis Place Southeast—normally a quiet residential neighborhood where it’s unusual to find violent crime, according to Police Chief Peter Newsham—around 10 p.m. on Saturday night.

“This is a neighborhood where this type of violence does not occur…it was very unusual to see what we saw here last night,” Newsham said. “Many seniors live in this community. The fact that those seniors had to be disrupted, their peace had to be disrupted, by multiple gunshots in our community, that’s something that we all need to get a handle on.”

Officers responded to the block at around 10 p.m. Saturday night and discovered one of the victims laying in the street, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The two other victims were found in a nearby vehicle, also suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders found “no signs consistent with life,” according to Newsham, and all three men were later pronounced dead.

Newsham identified the deceased as 26-year-old Sean Schuler, of Capitol Heights, Md.; 24-year-old Tyrik Hagood, of Northeast; and 26-year-old Javon Abney of Southeast. Witnesses described seeing two black males leaving the scene in a dark blue or black sedan. One of them was possibly wearing a red hoodie, according to Newsham.

Mayor Bowser said at the press conference that MPD officers are patrolling the neighborhood through Monday. She also said that much of the violence is the result of people seeking retaliation and asked for the public’s help in reporting any illegal activity that could promote violent conflict.

The other homicide on Saturday occurred in the 4100 block of Hayes Street Northeast around 3:30 p.m. Police identified the victim as 59-year-old Kevin Jerome Harrison of Northeast.

The recent run of murders in the District follows a 40 percent homicide jump in 2018, year-over-year. In the first eight days of this year, there had already been eight homicides, including the shooting death of a serviceman at the marine barracks and two suspected homicide victims found in a burning building. Earlier this month, two young people were shot dead in their vehicle on Forrester Street Southwest.

Newsham said that police have increased the work of their task forces in an attempt to stem the violence.