Results tagged “homicide”

Montgomery County police say that one of two men currently wanted for murder in an Aug. 30 killing managed to walk out of Washington Hospital Center and is currently at-large.

A Prince George's County police officer shot and seriously wounded a man in Southeast D.C. today after following the man into the District, the Post is reporting. The victim, who has not been identified, was a suspect in the killing of two people in Anne Arundel County earlier this morning, according to police. The police-involved shooting took place at Minnesota Avenue and Ridge Road SE.

Another violent daytime crime in the District to report this afternoon. At approximately 2:50 p.m., two transgendered men were stabbed in front of 209 Q Street NW, D.C. police said. Both of the victims were transported to area hospitals, where one of them died a short time later. Police would not speculate on a possible motive in the attack, though a suspect is said to have been spotted fleeing the scene before first responders arrived. FOX 5 also has the story.

The Metropolitan Police Department finally put out a formal press release yesterday on the Monday night killing of 44-year-old Shahabuddin Rana, the co-owner of the Edgewood Pizza Mart. But the release contained zero new information, and declined to offer a cause of death, pending an autopsy. Well now City Desk has the cause of death, courtesy the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: 'Rana died from "blunt head trauma" as well as "stab and incised wounds," according to the office’s spokesperson Beverly Fields.' D.C. Police have been passing out fliers all over the neighborhood around the Pizza Mart, located at 2300 4th Street NE, in the hopes of prompting someone with information about what happened to Rana to come forward.

In a story in the Washington Times today, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier boldly claimed that she believes the District could end up with fewer than 100 homicides in 2009. We have already had at least 88 to date (not sure if yesterday's Pizza Mart killing was included here), which is roughly 25 percent fewer killings that the city had recorded at this time last year. And that's fantastic, a real achievement. But fewer than 12 homicides over the next four+ months? It seems certain to be an impossible goal.

WJLA has the ID of the man who was found dead inside a Pizza Mart in Edgewood on Tuesday: 44-year-old Shahabuddin Rana, of Silver Spring, Md., was a co-owner of the pizza shop with his brother. Police are still holding back on a specific cause of death, but they are treating it as a homicide and have alluded to some kind of trauma to the body. That Pizza Mart is a 24-7 carryout operation, and it appears the killer must have entered the store at some point overnight on Monday night and attacked Rana.

Kathy Wone, the widow of slain D.C. lawyer Robert Wone, released a statement to the media on Sunday night, on the third anniversary of the still unsolved crime:

"My husband, Robert, was a beautiful, loving person who was murdered in the prime of his life three years ago today. From the beginning, those who victimized Robert -- and his family -- have sought to cover-up and delay, hoping that we would forget. But we will not forget; we will never forget. The residents of Washington, D.C. must ensure that this case is solved and that those responsible are held to account. From this point forward, we expect the pending criminal proceedings to move expeditiously. In a case that already has languished for three years, there can be no more delays. We owe it to Robert -- who did so much for so many -- to bring to justice the persons responsible for his murder and the cover-up of his murder."

It's rare to hear such words at this time of year, but WJLA is reporting that homicides in the District have decreased 28.8 percent as compared to the same time last year. Good news, right? Yes and no. As a general metric of public safety, the rate of homicides is worth more in perception than it is in reality. After all, fewer people may be getting killed, but more people may just as well be getting robbed and assaulted. Generally, though, folks hear of fewer murders and feel safer. Of course, such statistics are a knife that cuts both ways -- a mid-summer spike in killings will suddenly make us all feel panicked about crime in the District. The Metropolitan Police Department keeps updated homicide counts on their website, for residents interested in making such snap judgements about generalized crime in the city. While it's good to hear that there are fewer victims of murder in D.C. this year, it's not a full enough picture to judge where crime is and where it will go in the coming months.

It's been five months since the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Durval Martins, who was killed at the corner of 11th and Q Streets NW as he walked home from Fox & Hounds on Dec. 16. Martins was shot multiple times in the head, nothing was stolen from him (including his wallet), and no suspect has been identified in the case.

A man who was shot near the intersection of 7th and N M Streets NW Thursday night died of his injuries. The Metropolitan Police Department said it is investigating the shooting, which happened at approximately 9:37 p.m., as a homicide.

That was certainly fast. Police have arrested Bernard Bellamy, 20, of Oxon Hill, and charged him with first-degree murder in the death of Valicia Demery, 19, whose body was discovered early on Sunday on a jogging track behind Forestville Military Academy, the Post is reporting. Bellamy was taken into custody at West Virginia State University, where he is a sophomore. The suspected motive is painfully obvious: Demery was four months pregnant, and Bellamy was none too pleased. Interesting details from reporter Matt Zapotosky: The suspect's father admits he had basically zero clue what was going on in his son's life, and doesn't seem willing or able to rule out that his son might have killed his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

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The Metropolitan Police Department is looking for this man, Senneca Benjamin, 31, on suspicion that he shot and killed a woman in her home at 67 Bryant Street NW on Sunday afternoon. Monique Nalleat, 42, died in the shooting, and three men were injured. The identities of the men are being withheld because they are witnesses in the case. Benjamin is described as a medium complexioned black male, about 5-feet-11 inches tall and weighing approximately 150 pounds. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM[E] (1-888-919-2746). Anonymous information may also be submitted to D.C. CRIME SOLVERS at 1-866-411-TIPS and to the department’s SMS tip line by text messaging 50411.

The Post reported this morning that an off-duty police officer shot and killed a suspected robber in the 5300 block of B Street SE at about 5 a.m. Sunday. The killing marks the second police-involved fatal shooting in 2009.

It's been a little over a year since the decomposed bodies of Banita Jacks's four daughters were discovered inside their Southeast D.C. home. The house is still for sale, and WTOP's Mark Segraves took a look inside, with just incredibly disturbing results.

There is no smell that would indicate the home's history. There are some holes in the drywall and the plumbing is not working. Other than that, it appears to be your average rundown house.

Continue reading "Jacks Girls Wrote on Wall: 'Yes I Do Love Mom'"

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Both WTOP and the Post have stories up on the findings of medical examiner in the case of the two girls who were found in the freezer in their mother's home in Calvert County in September. Both girls died from asphyxiation, according to the official report. The mother, Renee Bowman, previously told police that one of the girls died of starvation and the other died after a fall. She has not been charged in their deaths, though she is currently being held on child abuse charges related to a third daughter who is still living.

The Washington Blade is reporting that the victim in the fatal overnight shooting at 11th and Q Streets NW has been identified as Durval Martins of the 200 block of Bates Street NW. Martins, a 35-year-old gay man, was shot in the head and killed shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday while walking home from Fox & Hounds, according to D.C. police. A police statement said Martins also suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body. Acting Lt. Brett Parson of the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit said officers found the victim's wallet in his hand and that his cash, cell phone, and jewelry were not taken. Martins had reportedly been out in the Dupont area last night, having visited gay bar Omega and the 17th Street restaurant Jack’s before going to Fox & Hounds. Police have not pinpointed a motive in the killing, but said it could have been robbery given that the victim’s wallet was in his hand.

Mayor Fenty and Chief Lanier held a press conference this morning to announce that arrests have been made in the stabbing death of Giovanni Sanchez, 14, in Columbia Heights on Friday. The Post was there and reports that Hector Diaz and a minor whose name was not released are being charged in the killing, which took place in the middle of the afternoon at the intersection of 14th and Newton streets NW.

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D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced this afternoon that five men have been arrested for the killing of 13-year-old Alonzo Robinson and shooting of four other people in Trinidad last July. The shooting spree was one of the worst incidents in a wave of increased violence in Trinidad that lead police to establish controversial checkpoints in the area. Police say the five men, all from the Kenilworth-Parkside area, sprayed gunfire in the neighborhood in an attempt to settle a cross-neighborhood dispute with members of the Trinidad neighborhood. One of the suspects was arrested in early July and has been cooperating with the police.

This story about a New York City bus driver who was stabbed to death over a bus transfer. Horrific. You can be sure plenty of people will complain and struggle against the new SmarTrip-only transfer regime about to be put in place on Metrorail and Metrobus, but if it prevents even one incident like this in our city, it will have been worth the growing pains.

Written by DCist contributor Shauna Miller

The AP is reporting that a Maryland man was shot and killed late Friday night at 3012 Georgia Avenue NW. Details are scant, but what is known is that nineteen-year-old Arthur Gale of Suitland was found behind a building with multiple gunshot wounds after police responded to a call of gunshots on the 700 block of Columbia Road. There's no word whether Gale was in the area for Howard's homecoming ceremonies or not. Police are asking anyone with information about the homicide to contact them at (202) 727-9099.

The MPD announced today that they arrested Robert Hanna, 18, and charged him with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the September 7 attack of two gay men near Be Bar. One of the victims, Tony Hunter, died ten days later as a result of his injuries. The arrest comes one week after MPD announced they were on the lookout for Hanna. The wanted poster described him as an 18-year-old "who is known to frequent the area around 7th and O Streets, NW."

Montgomery County Police say they have tentatively identified the two bodies found in Renee Bowman's freezer as two of Bowman's adopted daughters. They also released this undated photo of Jasmine Nicole Bowman, who would now be 9, and Minnet Cecila Bowman, who would be 11. A family friend made the identification, though as the Post points out, it's not yet an official identification. Still, police don't expect to discover the bodies belonged to anyone else once the autopsies are completed.

The Post continues its tireless, grim updates of the Renee Bowman case, with the latest crediting three reporters in the byline and four other individuals as having contributed. New details: a lawyer who represented Bowman in a personal injury case between 2003 and 2005 describes her as being "not the same person" she was then. Bowman is apparently confused about what's going on, even though she told police one of her daughters died of starvation, while the other died from injuries sustained after a fall. Maryland medical examiners have not yet determined causes of death for the two bodies, believed to be those of Bowman's adopted daughters, that were found in a freezer inside her home in Calvert County, Md. With a case like this, you really have to hope that this woman had some sort of psychotic break and suddenly became totally nuts. Otherwise all you're left with is something far more sinister.

The Calvert County, Md. Sheriff's Department has arrested one Renee Bowman, 43, after discovering what appeared to be the bodies of two children in a freezer in Bowman's home over the weekend. Authorities went to the house responding to a report of child abuse, after neighbors found Bowman's 7-year-old adopted daughter alone outside the house, showing signs of abuse and neglect. When they searched the house, they found the remains, and Bowman allegedly told them that the bodies belonged to her two other adopted daughters, and that they had both been in the freezer since February. Bowman used to live in Rockville, in Montgomery County, but moved to Calvert County in February, so charges related to the bodies could ultimately be filed in Montgomery. Bowman is currently being held in Calvert County on charges of first-degree child abuse.

In the annals of heartbreaking, senseless violence in the District of Columbia, this one ranks right up there at the top. WJLA and the Post both have stories about the shooting death of 18-year-old Tanganika Stanton in Northeast over the weekend. The story D.C. police are telling is that Stanton was approached by 19-year-old Terrence Jones while she was sitting outside her home eating a hamburger. In an apparent attempt to flirt with her, Jones asked Stanton to make him a burger. When both she and her mother refused to cook him food, Jones left, then returned with a gun and shot up the house. Stanton and her mother were both shot; Stanton died, while her mother was shot in the foot and is expected to make a full recovery. The Post's story plays up the weird hamburger aspect of the shooting, but WJLA's video report makes the important point that this was really about a young man who was aggressively engaging in street harassment. He felt rejected, and lashed out. It's a horrifying story for any woman who is accustomed to street harassment from men in this city. Jones has been arrested and is being held without bond.