Four people were killed in separate shootings in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, taking the city beyond the number of homicides for the same period last year.

The killings added to a series of deadly nights in the District this summer. Last week, during a

single night, 11 people were wounded and two killed, including a 13-year-old boy. In May, seven lives were taken in nine hours, prompting the District to launch its controversial checkpoint measure that prevents outsiders from entering the most embattled neighborhoods.

The latest round of violence erupted Monday evening less than three hours after Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier touted new initiatives to combat crime.

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The first killing occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, on the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE. A man was found shot in the head and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Inspector Rodney Parks, head of the violent crimes unit, said the victim was shot after his wife and another man got into an argument. The shooter produced a gun, fired and fled in a car, he said.

About midnight, police officers were called to an apartment building on the 1700 block of Q Street SE and found a man and woman in an apartment dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

At 2:13 a.m. Tuesday, police found the body of a man on the 1900 block of Southern Avenue SE, on the border with Prince George’s County. He had been shot multiple times.

Police said they were withholding the identities of the victims until their families are located and notified.

The last eruption pushed the number of people killed in the District to beyond last year’s totals for the same period. There have been 108 homicides this year compared with 105 in 2007.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com