3 men shot near Howard U.

Update, 9:32 p.m.:

Three young men were shot and seriously wounded Wednesday night in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest D.C., D.C. police said.

Several off-duty officers near the 9:30 Club, a popular music venue, heard gunshots about 7:40 p.m, said assistant police chief Diane Groomes. The off-duty officers then ran about two blocks to 8th and V streets, where they found two victims, Groomes said. The third wounded man, who had also been shot around 8th and V, ran about two blocks to a nearby McDonald's.

The three were taken to a hospital -- two with serious and life-threatening wounds and the third with serious wounds that were not believed to be life threatening.

According to a police source, one man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and another was struck in the body.

Police were looking for a green Chrysler 300 that fled the scene. "If anyone can gives us more details about it, we'd love it," Groomes said.

Police were gathering evidence from and around a SUV parked on 8th Street NW.

-- Clarence Williams