It was not clear whether anyone in the SUV had returned fire at the Alero, or how many shots were fired altogether, or where.

Dotson said there were bullet holes on both sides of the SUV, and damage to its right front fender that suggested the vehicles had collided at some point.

One man died at the scene, in the back seat of the SUV. Another was taken to a hospital, where he died. A third was wounded in the ankle. Two other occupants of the vehicle were held, one of them caught by a bicycle officer while trying to flee.

Marijuana and heroin were found by a portable toilet near the intersection, where witnesses said one of the Dodge’s occupants threw them as he ran.

Dotson said the surviving SUV occupants “are not being completely cooperative.”

The names of the victims were not released.

A visibly shaken woman who declined to give her name told a reporter that she was on a Metro bus behind the SUV when several shots rang out.

She said it sounded like cannons, and people at first wondered whether the noise was related to the construction equipment near the Arch grounds.