While I Was Out....Homicides in Ward 5

In Carver-Langston on Sunday, from MPD:

At approximately 3:30 am, Sunday, October 21, 2007, officers of the Fifth District responded to the 900 block of 21st Street, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found 20-year-old Ashley M. Black, of the 1200 block of North Capitol Street, NW, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedStar Unit where she was pronounced dead.

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

The department 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.

And, a man found shot inside his car on Rhode Island Avenue in Woodridge on Monday has died:

A 44-year-old Temple Hills man who was found shot inside a vehicle on Monday in the 3100 block of Rhode Island Ave. NE has died. The Metropolitan Police Department’s preliminary investigation revealed that Clive Valentine of the 2700 block of Bell Brook Street in Temple Hills, Md. may have been shot when another vehicle pulled up alongside and fired shots into his vehicle.

Police responded to the report of a shooting on Rhode Island Avenue at approximately 11:36 pm on Monday, October 22, 2007. Valentine was transported to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedStar Unit and admitted in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at 11:15 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2007.

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

The department 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.

MPD-5D has reported that the driver of a silver Honda or Volkswagon is the suspected shooter. The suspect was last seen turning right (south) on Eastern Avenue.

Homicide on Benning Road

From MPD:

On Wednesday, August 22, 2007, at approximately 8:53 pm, police responded to 17th Street and Benning Road, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 37-year-old Melvin Watson, of the 1600 block of K Street, NE, suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was transported to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedSTAR Unit where he was pronounced dead.

The victim, who has not yet been positively identified, was transported to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedSTAR Unit where he was pronounced dead.

The case is currently under investigation by detectives assigned to the department’s Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call 202-727-9099.

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

Immediate Arrest Made in Carver-Langston Homicide Yesterday

From MPD:

At approximately 1:05 this morning, Tuesday, August 14, 2007, police were called to an apartment building located in the 1100 block of 21st Place, NE, for the report of a stabbing. Upon arrival they located 33-year-old Tameka Hill, of the 21st Place, NE address, suffering from apparent multiple stab wounds to the body that were allegedly sustained during an altercation with a neighbor. She was taken to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedStar Unit and pronounced dead.

Arrested, without incident, at the apartment building was 26-year-old Gloria C. Tyndel also of the 21st Place, NE address. She was charged with Murder Two While Armed and is expected to be arraigned today.

Carver-Langston Teenager Missing FOUND

**UPDATE** Tyesha Smith was found unharmed on Thursday night and police returned her to her family.

From ABC7:

D.C. Police are asking for help locating a missing teenager. Fifteen-year-old Tyesha Renee Smith was last seen at about 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, in the 900 block of 19th Street, NE.

Police say she is described as a black female, medium complexion, 5'5", weighing 105 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

She was last seen wearing a white skirt and a pink and green shirt.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Tyesha Renee Smith is asked to call police at 202.727.9099.

Armed Man Dies After Shootout with Police

Police aren't sure if 23-year-old Gregory Thomas was fatally wounded before or during the gun battle with police. From WUSA9:

MPD is investigating a shooting involving two of their officers that left one man dead.

Police tell 9NEWS NOW it all began around 12:30am, when an off duty officer was on his way home and noticed a man firing shots into a courtyard at 17th Street & Benning Road NE.

The off duty officer approached the suspect announced that he was a police officer, and exchanged gunfire.

The suspect then jumped into a green and white vehicle and fled the scene toward a laundromat near 1342 Florida Ave NE.

An on duty officer encountered the suspects as they got back on Benning Road and exchanged gunfire with the suspect while he was trying to flee the scene.

A vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle showed up at a firehouse in the 1100 block of Morse Street NE and left a man suffering from gunshots in the driveway then fled. [Frozen Tropics notes that there isn't a fire station on that block, so it must have been the station on Florida Avenue. There's also some confusion over whether the initial intersection was 17th and Benning or 17th and Bladensburg.]

The man was taken to a local hospital were he was pronounced dead a short time later.

D.C. Police chief Cathy Lanier says the two officers involved were not injured.

The man has not been identified and police are looking for the driver of the car who left the man at the firehouse.

If you have any information about this case, please call MPD at 202-727-9099.

More:
» WaPo
» ABC7
» NBC4

Another Man Shot in Carver-Langston

Just 24 hours after a homicide in Carver Terrace.

From NBC4:

Police said a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound Wednesday night in northeast Washington.

Police officers had responded for the report of a shooting just before midnight in the 900 block of 19th Street.

Officers found an adult male who had been shot in the back.

Authorities said the victim was conscious and taken to a hospital for treatment.

There has been no word on the victim's condition.

Homicide at 1211 18th Street NE

From MPD:

At approximately 10:50 last night, Tuesday, June 19, 2007, police were called to the rear of 1211 18th Street, NE, for the report of the sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival they located 20-year-old William Marquez Aull, of the 1600 block of Trinidad Avenue, NE, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso. DC Fire Department emergency medical personnel responded to the scene but found no signs consistent with life. He was taken to the Office of the DC Medical Examiner and pronounced dead.

The case is under investigation by members of the department’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.

Carver Terrace Peace March - Wednesday, January 17th

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5B, Single Member District 5B10


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kathy Henderson
JANUARY 16, 2007
PHONE: (202) 397-2777
(202) 489-7100 (c)


Community Rocked by Recent Violence Calls for Help

(Washington DC) – A contractor, working to rehabilitate a building located at 1229 18th Street, NE was shot nine times on January 13, 2007, after asking a group of youths to get off of his car. The victim, a law-abiding and peaceful family man is in stable condition following the shooting. The victim’s ten-year old child witnessed the shooting. The community was shaken again, the very next day by a shooting occurring at Yums Carryout, located at 1023 Bladensburg Road, NE. Two quadruple shootings and other shootings have resulted in four homicides within the last four months, shaking the very foundation of the Carver Terrace community.

Commissioner India Henderson and former Commissioner Kathy Henderson will lead a peace march with citizens, Police Chief Cathy Lanier, 5D Commander Jennifer Greene and the Guardian Angels to denounce the violence in this community. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Adrian Fenty, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. and all At-Large Councilmembers and clergy are invited to participate in the peace march. Fourteen Carver Terrace youth were recruited for neighborhood patrols as a direct result of the first Carver Terrace/Guardian Angels community march on January 10, 2007.

Underscoring the peace march is a demand for the immediate installation of a surveillance camera for the 18th and M Streets area and heightened police patrols to restore law and order in the this community. The march will begin at the corner of 17th and M Streets, NE, at 7:00 p.m.; on January 17, 2007. An emergency community meeting will convene at the DC Developing Families Center, located at 801 17th Street, NE, prior to the march at 5:30 p.m.

“We are tired of the violence in our neighborhoods and we want the police to step up and do a better job of protecting this community, stated longtime resident S. Harris”.

» News on the January 6th murder of 17-year-old Lovell Harrison in the 2100 block of I Street NE from MPD and WaPo.

UPDATE: Frozen Tropics has a roundup of the event and media coverage.

Examiner: Thomas Has a "Balancing Act" Ahead as Ward 5 Council

Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr. is standing at the crossroads of a turf war trying to figure out how to stem a week of violent bloodshed in a small Northeast community [Carver Langston]....Thomas will lead Ward 5 during a time in which it is at its own crossroads [hmmm, we clearly have a number of "crossroads" here in Ward 5]. Largely working-class, neighborhoods like Brookland and Trinidad in Ward 5 are now considered "hot" housing markets...."It’s a balancing act," Thomas said. "A lot of things are changing. ... We have to find ways to connect our residents to the economic well being of the rest of the city."

Read the entire article here.

Homicide in Carver Langston - Escalating Violence in Neighborhood Continues

In the wake of yesterday's multiple shooting, from MPD:

On Wednesday, November 15, 2006, at about 10:42 am, police and DC Fire Department emergency medical personnel responded to the rear of 705 24th Street, NE for the report of an unconscious person. Upon arrival, they found an as yet unidentified adult male suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency medical personnel could find no life signs. The body was later transported by morgue wagon to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia.

The case is currently under investigation by detectives assigned to the Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call (202) 727-9099.

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently offering 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.

Even the increased police presence - including more daytime patrols and a mobile command truck in the area - can't seem to bring back the equilibrium this neighborhood worked so hard to achieve.

Four Shot in NE - Two Teen Victims

This morning - in what happens to be the the fourth shooting (at least) in the past month in the Carver Langston neighborhood - two teens and two adults were shot in an alley. From MPD:

Multiple Shooting Incident on 19th Street, NE

On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, shortly after 10 am, Metropolitan Police and DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the area of 19th and M Streets, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered that four males had been shot while in an alley located in the 1200 block of 19th Street, NE.

The victims - a 16 year old, a 17 year old and two 20 year olds - were transported to area hospitals for treatment of apparently non-life-threatening injuries. One victim was shot in the pelvic area, and the others received gunshot wounds to their limbs. Their identities are being withheld because they are witnesses in the case.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the victims were fired upon by two occupants of a moving vehicle described as a white Honda Accord, bearing unknown temporary license tags. The vehicle was occupied by a total of four subjects described only as black males.

The case is currently under investigation by detectives assigned to the MPDC's Fifth District. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call (202) 727-9099 or the DC Crime Solvers Unit at 1-800-673-2777.

All calls to Crime Solvers are confidential, and a caller need not give his or her name. If the information provided by a caller to the Crime Solvers Unit leads to an arrest and indictment, the caller will be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

WTOP and NBC4 are also reporting on the shooting and recent increase in violence in this neighborhood; NBC4 mentions that shell casings from an apparently unreported shooting last night were also found in the vicinity. See Frozen Tropics for information on an emergency community meeting called for tomorrow evening in response to the recent surge in violence in Carver Langston.

**UPDATE**
WaPo's report is here.

Fatal Shooting in NE; 2 Others Wounded, Including a Teenage Girl

From WTOP via AP:

District police are investigating a shooting in Northeast which left one man dead and two other people wounded Saturday evening.

Sergeant Joe Gentile says the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of 21st Place, NE.

Metropolitan Police Department officers found 34-year-old Boyd King suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

King was pronounced dead at Washington Hospital Center. He lived in the 2100 block of Maryland Avenue, NE.

Police also found a 17-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the ankle, and a 41-year-old man who was wounded in the upper thigh.

The two victims have not been identified because they are considered witnesses to a crime.

They are both expected to recover from their injuries.

MPD's press release is here.

Help Make the Alexander Crummel School Community Center a Reality - Thursday, August 24th

What: The Department of Parks and Recreation Ward 5 Town Hall Meeting. Stand in solidarity with your Ivy City neighbors in getting the historic Crummel School transferred to the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation as a multi-purpose recreation center.

When: Thursday, August 24th, 2006, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: North Michigan Park Recreation Center, 1333 Emerson Street, NE

Background: (from Empower DC)
Ivy City Has a Youth Detention Center - We Need a Youth Opportunity Center!

The continued trend and current rise in crime among youth in the District underscores the dire need for more services, employment opportunities and youth development programs.

The Historic Ivy City/Crummell School Revitalization Coalition is a community based organization dedicated to the rebirth of the historic Alexander Crummell school into a multi-use facility that would provide services to youth and largely underserved senior residents of Ivy City, Langston-Carver Terrace, Trinidad, and surrounding neighborhoods.

The renovated school and its two acre grounds must be transformed from a place of blight and decay to one of community uplift and opportunity including job training, tutoring, mentorship, recreation and other needed programs.

Why Crummell School? The Alexander Crummell School is named for abolitionist, educator and clergyman Rev. Doctor Alexander Crummell whose life's mission was the uplift of Black people. The school was built in 1911 to serve African American children from the historic working-class community of Ivy City and neighboring Trinidad. The school served as the civic heart of the community and as a site for recreational programs until around 1980. Since that time the DC government has allowed the building to sit and rot, and depress its surrounding neighborhood. Residents of Ivy City have long been on record asking that their broken heart be repaired, and turned into a multi-use center to serve youth and elders. Now is a critical time to make this vision a reality.

We are asking the City Council to immediately transfer the Crummell School building and its grounds from the office of Property Management and add it to the inventory of the Department of Parks and Recreation for renovation and community use. Help us hold elected officials accountable to caring for the lives of our youth.

Support the Campaign for Crummell School By:

* You or Your Organization/Institution Signing-On as an Endorser

* Participating in on-going Campaign Activities

Partial List of Endorsing Organizations:

Empower DC
Historic Ivy City/Crummell School Revitalization Coalition
Movement for Love and Unity
Bread for the City
Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project
DC Statehood Green Party
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Inc
Youth Leadership Support Network
Save Our Schools
Power Palette
Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington
Stand Up! for Democracy in DC
Committee to Save Franklin Shelter
DC Library Renaissance Project
Fix Our Schools
GCH Endowment to Promote Quality Early Childhood Education
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC

Parisa B. Norouzi
Co-Director/Organizer
District of Columbia Grassroots Empowerment Project
(Empower DC)
1419 V St, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 234-9119


More background information at Frozen Tropics, Cultural Tourism DC, and the Ivy City-Trinidad Citizens Association.

Escaped Prisoner Apprehended Near Scene of Original Crime

James Bell was captured around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday near 17th and L Streets, NE. Good to know that if you're an arsonist with no fixed address, you'll just duck from the cops a block away from the original crime scene. I hope someone is taking notes.

Prisoner Escapes in NE During Transport

***UPDATED***

I just put two-and-two together: this is the man who torched Kathy Henderson's car just over two weeks ago! I wonder if this qualifies her for a police escort home?



From MPD:

The Metropolitan Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in helping to locate an escaped prisoner.

At approximately 3:30 am, on Friday, June 30, 2006, a 1991 Mercury Capri was set ablaze at 1807 L Street, NE. A second vehicle, a 1999 Suzuki Vitary, was also damaged as a result of the fire.

A subsequent investigation by members of the department's Fifth District led to the arrest of 34-year-old James D. Bell, of no fixed address. He was arrested, without incident, at 19th Street and Maryland Avenue, NE, at approximately 4:24 pm, on Saturday, July 15, 2006, and charged with Destruction of Property. At approximately 10 am, on Monday, July 17, 2006, Mr. Bell was being transported from the Fifth District station, located at 1805 Bladensburg Road, NE, to the department's Central Cell Block, located at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW. While in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, NE, Mr. Bell apparently managed to force or kick open the back door of the transport wagon and make good his escape.

James D. Bell is described as a 34-year-old black male, 6'1" tall, approximately 150 pounds with braided type hair. He has a tombstone-shaped tattoo with the letters "RIP" on his upper right arm and a heart-shaped tattoo with the word "TANYA" on his upper left arm. He was last seen wearing a black jump suit.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James D. Bell, or who sees him, should take no direct action but should call police at (202) 727-9099 or 911.

From WTOP:

D.C. police are looking for a prisoner who escaped from a transport vehicle Monday morning.

Police say 34-year-old James Bell managed to kick open the door of the vehicle in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, Northeast around 10:30 a.m. Bell was being moved from the Fifth Police District to police headquarters.

Bell also goes by the first name Marcell. He was arrested on Saturday on charges of setting fire to a vehicle on L Street, Northeast.

Police say Bell is a black man, about six-foot-one and 150 pounds. He has braided hair, a tombstone "RIP" tattoo on his upper right arm and a heart with the name "Tanya" in it on his upper left arm.

Bell was last seen wearing a black prison jumpsuit and may still have the plastic handcuffs he was wearing when he escaped.

I have a hard time believing the plastic 'cuffs are still on....

Kathy Henderson's Car Set on Fire

***UPDATED***

Proof that it's not easy being a Ward 5 ANC Commissioner or Council candidate. Henderson's (5B-10) demeanor in the NBC4 footage is the same that has impressed me in various meetings. Also noted in The Examiner, the Post, and on WUSA9. It should be interesting to see where the investigation leads.

Hat tip to Elise for pointing out a WaPo article written a little over a year ago, "Hazards of ANC Job Outlined."

Weekend Ward 5 / NE Murder Roundup

Unfortunately there was enough activity over the holiday weekend thus far to call this a "roundup" - and it doesn't include the bulk of the regional weekend violence - (all info below from MPD):

• At approximately 10:15 on the night of Friday, June 30, 2006, police were called to the A & L Market, located at 2007 First Street, NW, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they located the owner of the store, 35-year-old Maurice Darnaby of the 11000 block of Old York Road in Mitchellville, Maryland, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. DC Fire Department emergency medical personnel responded to the scene but found no signs consistent with life. Local news coverage from WaPo, ABC7, WUSA9, and NBC4.
• At approximately 12:15 on the morning of Saturday, July 1, 2006, police were called to the front of 2012 Maryland Avenue, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they located 25-year-old Ronald Anderson, of the 2000 block of Maryland Avenue, NE, suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was taken to the Washington Hospital Center's MedSTAR Unit and pronounced dead.
• At approximately 1:44 on the morning of Saturday, July 1, 2006, police were called to the front of 4119 Gault Place, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they located 23-year-old Francis E. Watkins, of the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE, suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was taken to the Howard University Hospital and pronounced dead.
• At approximately 1:35 am, on Tuesday, July 4, 2006, 27-year-old Robert W. Allen, of the 400 block of Mellon Street, SE, was driven by a private vehicle to the Greater Southeast Community Hospital and admitted in critical condition with apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was later pronounced dead at 2:14 am. The preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Allen was shot while standing in front of 380 Eastern Avenue, NE.

Anyone with information about these cases 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.

And they do solve homicides with our help.

Homicide on Lyman Place, NE Yesterday

From MPD:

Homicide Inside 1714 Lyman Place, NE, Closed with Arrest

At approximately 6:31 last night, Sunday, June 4, 2006, police were called to a private home located at 1714 Lyman Place, NE, to investigate the trouble. Upon arrival officers located 41-year-old Timothy Fitzgerald Marshall, of the Lyman Place address, suffering from apparent trauma to the head. Members of the DC Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene, but found no signs consistent with life and Mr. Marshall was pronounced dead.

The above case was closed with the arrest of 37-year-old Lee Mario Smith also of the Lyman Place address. He was charged with Murder II.