Off-duty DC firefighter was shot and dialed 911. After minutes with no response, he took matters into his own hands

Under dim Capitol Hill streetlights on September 20, Gary Dziekan headed down 8th Street Northeast dressed in lederhosen, walking home from the Oktoberfest party he co-hosted five blocks away. Dziekan, who goes by “Zeek,” crossed at the intersection with C Street, zeroing in on the short iron gate separating a colorful row of two-story homes from the quiet Washington, DC, street.