Fasil Regassa wipes away tears when he talks about Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old National Guard member who was shot Wednesday just a few feet away from his store.

“I cried when I heard she died,” Regassa said.

For nine years, Regassa and his wife, immigrants from Ethiopia, have managed a 7-Eleven convenience store just across the street from the shooting scene. When the shooting started, Regassa said, he locked the front doors of his store and rushed the three or four customers inside to a back area for safety.

In the bustling downtown area of D.C., blocks away from the White House and packed with tourists, chain restaurants, cafes, banks, stores, and corporate offices, business community members are still processing the violence and chaos they experienced near the Farragut West Metr

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