Homicide in the 3100 Block of 10th Street NE

Just a few hours after MPD Chief Ramsey led a march for peace, 28-year-old Eddie Watkins was shot and killed in front of 3124 10th Street, NE. From MPD:

At approximately 11:30 pm, on Tuesday, October 10, 2006, Metropolitan Police were called to the front of a building located in the 3100 block of 10th Street, NE, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 28-year-old Eddie Watkins, of the 3100 block of 10th Street, NE, suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene, but found no signs consistent with life. He was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia and pronounced dead.

The case is under investigation by members of the MPDC's Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099.

The department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

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Another senseless teenage death in NE on Tuesday, this time due to reckless driving:

On Tuesday, October 10, 2006, at approximately 4:25 pm, at the intersection of 8th Street and South Dakota Avenue, NE, 20-year-old Jonas Lee Underwood, of the 4900 block of 7th Street, NE, was the driver of a 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo making a left turn from westbound South Dakota Avenue NE, onto southbound 8th Street. As Mr. Underwood was making his turn, his vehicle was struck by a 2004 Chevy Avalanche being driven by 35-year-old Brian Omar Johnson, of the 1200 block of Delafield Place NE.

The impact caused massive intrusion into the right passenger’s side of the Monte Carlo. Consequently, the right rear passenger of the Monte Carlo, identified as 16-year-old David Duarte, of the 5000 block of 54th Place in Hyattsville, Maryland, was transported to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedSTAR Unit, where he was pronounced dead 5:10 pm.

Jonas Underwood was treated at the Washington Hospital Center for facial lacerations. The front seat passenger was treated at Howard University Hospital for head pain and facial cuts, and then released. The third passenger of the Monte Carlo was not physically injured.

Brian Johnson and his two passengers in the Chevy Avalanche did not sustain any physical injuries.

The case is under investigation by members of the MPDC's Major Crash Investigations Unit. Investigators have established that the intersection where the crash occurred is controlled by a stop sign for both northbound and southbound traffic. Therefore, the contributing factor in the crash is the failure to yield the right of way on the part of the operator of the Chevy Monte Carlo.

While the accident may certainly have been caused by Jonas Lee Underwood's failure to yield, I've no doubt that the oncoming traffic was travelling much faster than the posted speed limit. My guess is that may have contributed to the intensity of the crash.

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Finally, my apologies for not keeping up with all the happenings in the community lately. I've been under some serious time constraints that don't appear to be ending any time soon. While I'd like to go back and touch upon everything I've missed, I know that will only put me even further behind. So forward we go - with a few bumps in the road ahead....