Washington, DC: Man Stabbed to Death at West End Library in Foggy Bottom

A man was stabbed to death on Friday afternoon at the West End Neighborhood Library in Northwest Washington, and District of Columbia police homicide detectives are investigating.

Officers responded to the library in the 2300 block of L Street NW at about 1:49 p.m. on Friday, November 6, WJLA 7News reported. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, FOX 5 DC reported.

What police have said

Investigators recovered a kitchen knife that they believe was used in the stabbing, WJLA reported. Police said the man was not an employee of the library. He has not been identified, and his name has not been released.

Police have not said what led up to the attack. No suspect description has been released, and no arrest has been announced.

The first accounts differed on where the attack began. NBC Washington reported that police said the man was attacked inside the library, at 2301 L Street NW, just north of Washington Circle, and that officers were searching for his attacker. WJLA reported that the man was found inside a bathroom at the library. FOX 5 DC reported that police believe the man was stabbed outside the building and ran into the library for help before he died.

A public building, in the middle of the day

The West End Neighborhood Library is a branch of the DC Public Library serving the West End and Foggy Bottom, a few blocks from Washington Circle. The branch sits at street level, with homes, offices and hotels around it, and it is the kind of public room that stays busy through a weekday afternoon.

NBC Washington reported that the library entrance was blocked with police tape on Friday afternoon and that officers could be seen inside the building.

Where the accounts agree

All three stations agree on the core of the case. A man died from stab wounds at or beside the West End library on Friday afternoon. The police call came in the early afternoon, in the 2300 block of L Street NW. Homicide detectives took the case the same day. By Friday evening, police had named no suspect, announced no arrest and given no motive.

What is not known

Police have not released the man's name or his age. They have not said whether he knew his attacker, what he was doing at the library, or what happened in the minutes before the call. The first reports did not say whether the branch stayed closed for the rest of the day. Those are the questions the homicide investigation now has to answer.

The investigation

The Metropolitan Police Department homicide unit is leading the investigation. Detectives are working to identify the man, to establish where the attack began and to find the person responsible.

As of Friday evening, police had released no motive, no suspect description and no information about anyone else involved.