Police say a man was shot and killed on the 2500 block of 17th Street, Northwest in D.C. on Sunday.
Just after 3 a.m., police responded to a call for the sound of gunshots and found 35-year-old Jayvon Marshman, of Southeast, D.C., with gunshot wounds.
Police said a second man was found with a non-life threatening gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital.
Police are investigating for any suspects involved in the shooting.
Police have announced the arrest of Kelby Ronald Gordon of Southeast, D.C. for the murder of 46-year-old Gabriel Carlos Turner last month.
Gordon, 29, who also goes by “Mill” and “Milly,” was arrested Sunday, April 17 at 9:45 p.m. and has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.
MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at a press conference Monday afternoon that this was yet another “senseless, tragic murder that should have never happened.”
Turner, who worked as a janitor FBI, was an unintended target. Lanier said although there are multiple versions of the story, it appeared two other people were arguing and Turner was shot as an innocent bystander.
“The community is tired of these random acts of violence,” she said. “There is a real change in the community and gun firing is happening at all times during the day. People are working with police. If you commit a crime in the city you will be arrested.”
Gordon is expected to be arraigned in court later today.
The defense attorney in the case against Jamil Betts, Matthew Rist, withdrew from the case in court Monday.
Betts, charged with second-degree murder while armed, was appointed a new attorney, Chantey Redmon-Reid, by D.C. Courts following his former attorney’s motion to withdraw the defense’s guilty plea.
The defendant allegedly shot and killed Andre McConnell in the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace, SE, on April 27 of last year. Betts was scheduled to be sentenced in February 2016, but withdrew his guilty plea two months before.
His motion hearing is scheduled for June 3 with his new attorney.
Police have charged a man with murder after a woman’s body was found in her Glover Park apartment following a bomb threat in the building.
According to police, they received a call for a suspicious package in the apartment building in the 4000 block of Tunlaw Road, NW at around 6:10 a.m. Police later tweeted that the homicide was a domestic incident, and a person of interest had been detained.
When responding to the building, police found a female with stab wounds, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. Charles Elvis Sykes was arrested for her alleged murder, and charged with second-degree murder while armed. Police have not yet identified the deceased female, nor disclosed how the victim and suspect knew each other.
Kelby Ronald Gordon, 29, also known as “Milly,” charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly fatally shooting Gabriel Turner, 46, on March 24 was ordered held without bail.
During Gordon’s presentment in D.C. Superior Court Monday, his attorney, Monica Douglas, requested that the courts do not find probable cause in the case against her client because the investigation did not have an actual eyewitness that identifies Gordon as the shooter. She said the arrest warrant only provides information of an officer who said Gordon “looks like” a man he knows as “Milly.”
According to the arrest warrant, there were three surveillance videos that led to the arrest of the defendant. One the videos shows Turner walking on the sidewalk of 2642 Birney Place, SE, and an unidentified “subject” walking behind him. Then, the suspect, later identified as “Milly” by a police officer, shoots in the direction of the “subject” and continues to shoot as he runs past Turner. Turner collapses to the ground, then both “Milly” and the subject run off. The warrant suggests Turner was not the intended target.
According to the warrant, Detective Thomas O’Donnell contacted a Metropolitan Police Department member, who watched the video and identified the suspects as “Milly.” The detective received an anonymous tip that the suspects name was Kelby Ronald Gordon. The MPD member received a photo of Gordon via email from Det. O’Donnell and identified the man in the photo as “Milly.”
Detectives found two cell phone numbers that are associated with Gordon. One of the numbers is under the address 2716 Wade Road, SE, a building one of the three videos showed “Milly” entering after the shooting. Officers of the homicide branch searched the apartment associated with the cell phone and found one 50-count box of PPU ammunition in the living room and a gun box under the apartment’s only bed.
Police officers found gold shell casings with the head stamp “Win .40 S&W” at the scene. “The location of the recovered shell casings is consistent with the shooter’s location on video,” the warrant says.
Detectives interviewed the leaseholder of the apartment, who admitted to be dating Gordon on and off, said the defendant sent a text two to three days after the shooting. In the text, the defendant said he tried to rob someone and “thought the intended victim was pulling something and that he felt bad because he hit an innocent person.” The witness also said the defendant’s nickname is “Mill.”
Judge Renee Raymond found probable cause in the case against Kelby R. Gordon based on all of the information in the arrest warrant. Gordon is next due in court April 29.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond found probable cause to hold the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting Arthur Baldwin in December of last year without bail.
Maurice Bellamy, 17, also charged with fatally shooting Davonte Washington in a separate case, is being charged with first-degree murder while armed alongside his co-defendant Charles Sims.
According to the arrest warrant, Bellamy used a .38 caliber pistol, consistent with the gun allegedly used to shoot Washington in Deanwood metro station last month. The autopsy in this case, as well as witness reports, eventually led to the 17-year-old being charged for Baldwin’s murder as well.
During Bellamy’s arraignment, his attorney asked the court not to find probable cause in this case because the government had “no physical evidence that connects this felon to this particular offense…none of the unbiased witnesses point out that Bellamy was involved in shooting.”
Judge Raymond ordered Bellamy held without bail, saying “[T]here is no condition or combination of conditions that assure the community’s safety.”
The defendant’s preliminary hearing is set for May 24.
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In court Tuesday morning, a judge denied Alphonso Roberts’ request to be transported from jail to his mother’s funeral without more information about the jail’s process of releasing and transporting inmates.
Alphonso Roberts, 32, is being charged with second-degree murder while armed of 23-year old Maurico Walker, who was found shot on Feb. 10. Roberts was arrested March 24.
Roberts’ lawyer said in court that Roberts’ sister submitted a request to the jail for his transport and thought the jail needed a release request from the court. Judge Morin said even if the court granted the request, it would not guarantee Roberts’ release.
“Based on the information now, I wouldn’t order the release,” he said. “The court’s sole power is to order the release, but the jail has administrative power to do so or not.”
Roberts’ mother’s funeral is this Friday and he is expected to appear in court again on May 9.
Kevin Lee, the man charged with the shooting death of 31-year old Tenika Fontanelle, rejected the plea deal offered to him in court in Thursday morning morning and instead requested a trial.
Lee, 17, has been charged with second-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license outside home or business, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The prosecutor said the plea deal offered a sentence ranging from 12 to 29 years, if Lee pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. When Judge Liebovitz asked the prosecutor if they could offer a more “narrowed down” sentence, the prosector said no, but this would not be the end of the conversation regarding a plea deal.
Fontanelle was killed on 1300 block of Congress Street in SE on Aug. 18 in her apartment. When police arrived, they found Fontanelle, a male juvenile and Lee with gunshot wounds. According to charging documents, the Fontanelle’s 12-year-old son and Lee two males were engaged in an argument when Fontanelle was shot, allegedly by Lee, inside her home. Lee and the son were also shot during the fight. All three were taken to the hospital. After further investigation, Lee was arrested and police found multiple other guns and ammunition in his room, leading to the additional charges.
Lee told police that he and Fontanelle were fighting and she may have shot herself. He also said the 12-year-old and his group of friends had been taunting him, throwing rocks and sticks while he and another friend were walking which caused him to confront the boy at his house.
Lee’s trial is expected to start in November and he will appear in court on May 24.
Fontanelle’s family has set up a Go Fund Me fundraiser for Fontanelle’s two surviving children, who witnessed her murder.
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Police are investigating the shooting death of 34-year-old Matthew Edward Smith early Thursday morning.
According to police, Smith was found at around 1:20 a.m. in the 1600 block of 16th Street, SE, by police responding to a call about the sound of gunshots.
Smith was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he died.
Smith is D.C.’s 32nd homicide this year, as compared to 31 at the same time last year.
A judge concluded the preliminary hearing in the case against Tavon Stewart, 24, can not yet conclude because of a conflict of interest.
Stewart, accused of fatally shooting Rudolph Garris,29 in the 4200 block of Sixth Street, SE, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed. He is also facing a felony two charge for a misdemeanor in a different case.
In court, D.C. Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan did not disclose what the conflict of interest is. But, he said that the matter needs to be resolved in order to conclude the preliminary hearing.
Stewart’s current defense attorney, Matthew Davies requested to withdraw from this case. Judge Ryan accepted his withdrawal and the defendant’s new attorney, David Maxted, accepted the responsibility of representing his new client.
The preliminary hearing’s conclusion is scheduled for April 29 at 2:30 p.m.
The two men who allegedly shot and killed suspended Secret Service officer Arthur Baldwin, 30, last December did so after they were instructed to rob him, according to documents supporting their arrest. One of the two men charged with first-degree murder has already been charged with the murder of a 15-year-old at the Deanwood metro the day before Easter.
Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of Charles Sims, 29, and on Wednesday announced Maurice Bellamy’s arrest. Bellamy, 17, is already being held without bail for allegedly shooting 15-year-old Davonte Washington while he stood on a metro platform with his mom on the way to get a haircut for Easter. Bellamy is being tried as an adult in both cases, police said.
Interviews with witnesses suggest Baldwin’s murder was the result of a four-man robbery operation gone awry.
According to witness reports, three black men approached Baldwin’s gray Nissan Altima on December 15 of last year. A person who accompanied Sims and Bellamy, said a fourth person told the three of them to rob Baldwin, alleging the suspended secret service agent was in the area to buy a large quantity of drugs from a known dealer in the area. In the documents, police say their investigation led them to believe Baldwin was in the area to visit a friend, not to purchase drugs. The three men were driven to the scene by the man giving the instruction. The third man, who is not named in the document, said Sims and Bellamy were armed with pistols. This account was consistent with other witness interviews, and the autopsy report which concluded Baldwin died after being shot five times by at least two different pistols, according to the documents.
According to Sims’ and Bellamy’s companion, Bellamy knocked on Baldwin’s passenger side window, and “asked him what time it was and then pointed a .38 caliber pistol at him.” Sims opened the driver side door, while the third person rifled through the trunk. According to that witness, Baldwin tried to get out of the car, and pushed Bellamy. Bellamy then shot him. Sims, standing on the passenger side, also shot the victim. Baldwin’s wallet and iPad were taken, but no money drugs or weapons were found, the witness said. When Bellamy saw the wallet had no money in it, he tossed it down a street drain, according to that witness. When police responded to 911 calls of a shooting, they found Baldwin across the street from his car without his wallet, with a silver watch on the ground nearby.
The witness told police the identities of the two suspects, which matched the descriptions provided by other witnesses at the scene. An additional witness interviewed by police said they heard Bellamy and Sims speaking in their apartment hallway about reports of a secret service officer killed. Sims, according to that witness, said he had fired at Baldwin during the course of a robbery. This witness said the fourth man, who drove the three would-be robbers to the scene then tried to sell them Baldwin’s stolen iPad.
Another person interviewed by police said they were present for a conversation had by Sims and Bellamy about the murder, in which Sims asked Bellamy why he shot Baldwin. Sims said he did it because Baldwin tried to “buck on him and take his pistol.” When Bellamy asked the same question, Sims said Bellamy was struggling with Baldwin, and once Bellamy had already shot Baldwin, he couldn’t be left there alive.
The third robber, and the person who was offered the iPad both told police Sims had texted them a few days prior to his arrest to tell them he had buried the guns used in the murder near a creek bed near the homicide, and had marked the location by tying a blue ribbon around a branch. Though police searched the area, they did not recover the weapons.
Sims was presented in D.C. Superior Court Tuesday and is being held without bail. Bellamy, is already being held without bail for his prior murder case. Sims is due back in court May 11, and Bellamy will be presented in court Thursday afternoon. He is due in court for the first murder on Friday.
According to the Washington Post, Baldwin had been on leave from the Secret Service for charges stemming from a domestic incident.
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Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of Charles Sims, arrested for the alleged murder of an suspended Secret Service officer last December.
According to police, Arthur Baldwin, 30, was found with gunshot wounds at around 2:51 p.m. in the 4700 block of 1st Street, SW. Sims has been charged with first-degree murder while armed. According to court documents, Sims was presented in D.C. Superior Court Tuesday afternoon and is being held without bail. His next court date is May 11.
According to the Washington Post, police believe the shooting may have stemmed from an attempted robbery. The paper also reports Baldwin was on leave from the Secret Service after he was charged in a domestic incident.
The man who was fatally stabbed in the 4400 block of Livingston Road, SE, was identified as Paul Ivey, 37.
Police responded to a report of an aggravated assault in a residence at 1:29 a.m. Friday. The victim, later identified as Ivey, was suffering from stab wounds when the police arrived. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police arrested Dani Hilliard, 26, for Ivey’s death. Hilliard is awaiting presentment in D.C. courts for a charge of second-degree murder while armed.
Derrick Carter and Tyrale Johnson waived their right to have material found at the scene of their alleged crime tested for DNA, as the murder case against them moves forward.
Carter, 27, and Johnson, 21, have been charged with second-degree murder while armed for the alleged shooting of 31-year old Melvin Williams. Williams was found shot by an assault rifle in Southeast D.C. on July 28, 2015. Carter was first arrested in August and Johnson was later arrested in November.
Evidence recovered from the crime scene include shell casings, bullet fragments and clothing with blood, believed to be that of Williams, the prosecutor speculated. The prosecutor has chosen not to test the evidence for Carter or Johnson’s DNA.
In court, Judge Pan told Carter and Johnson that DNA testing could either prove their guilt or innocence. The results could also come back as “insufficient evidence,” she said.
After speaking with their lawyers while on the stand, Carter and Johnson both chose not to test the evidence.
Both are scheduled to next appear in court May 23.
David Davalier Nehemiah Harvey was ordered to remain held without bail this week for the alleged murder of 37-year-old Matthew Shelvin.
Harvey, 18, was arrested Jan. 28 and is being charged with first-degree murder while armed.
Although the prosecutor said the case is still being investigated, Judge Ryan found “substantial probability” Harvey was involved in the shooting of Shelvin. Ryan said he has not heard of anything that has changed that opinion since Harvey’s last court date in February.
Harvey is expected to appear in court again on June 16.
