A total of 10 people reportedly died due to drug overdoses in Northeast DC within three days, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The incidents took place from Saturday, April 9 to Monday, April 11 in the District’s Ivy City and Trinidad neighborhoods.
Seven other people overdosed in connection with 17 medical emergencies reported to authorities during this period. Some of them received treatment at a hospital.
Assistant Police Chief Morgan Kane told the media at a press conference that those who died range in age from the mid-30s to 60.
Naloxone, commonly known as NARCAN, can save a life. Watch as @DBHRecoversDC Director Dr. Bazron shows how to safely administer Naloxone.
Text LiveLongDC to 888-811 to find free and deliverable Naloxone near you, no prescription or ID required. pic.twitter.com/aGVuPJrQYi
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) April 13, 2022
Officials initially discovered that the deaths occurred after the victims consumed cocaine mixed with suspected fentanyl that were part of “a bad batch of drugs that are in our community.”
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser encouraged the use of Naloxone, a medication that is known as NARCAN and reverses the effects of opioids.
Bowser also shared a video that featured the director of DC Department of Behavioral Health showing how to administer Naloxone.