This Comment of the Day is from justmadabouttheviolence who wrote in to the photo gallery saying:
Everything should not have to be about black or white, the government building expensive homes or the police. People need to be held accountable for what they did. when detectives come and ask for information ppl turn they back and say i am not a snitch. If you want things to get better and get these dangerous individuals off the street speak out. but please stop blaming other ppl or things. our race is killing each other
WJLA reports that Christopher Ballard, killed Saturday, was due to testify in a carjacking case at DC Superior Court on Monday.
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Mayor Vincent Gray is expected to speak Wednesday evening at a memorial service for Omar Sykes, the Howard University student killed last week, NBC Washington reports.
The service is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the Howard campus at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel.
Sykes’ death has prompted many news reports; a links roundup is below.
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Lamonte Hill was arraigned Monday on a charge of second-degree murder while armed and a related weapons offense in connection with the stabbing and shooting death of Brian Bloomfield. Co-defendant Taquia Allen was arraigned on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in the case. Both defendants pleaded innocent to the charges.
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For each of the past three days that jurors have sat in the “21st and Vietnam” murder trial, 21-year-old Delrico Shuford has taken the stand, telling jurors about crew life, drugs, and murder on the Northeast DC streets he calls home.
Or called home.
Shuford now resides in witness protection, awaiting his own sentencing in connection with the “21st and Vietnam” killings. In April, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and conspiracy in connection with the death of 17-year-old Tyrell Fogle.
He wrapped up his final day of testimony in the case Monday.
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Wesley Monroe has been held on a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of 28-year-old Quentin Lavar White. Monroe appeared in court Saturday to be presented with the charge.
Arrest documents say that during the early morning hours of June 22 a group of people were gathered outside in the 3500 block of East Capitol Street Southeast when one of White’s friends and Monroe began to fight. Witnesses say White intervened and attempted to stop the fight.
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In brief:
Four homicides were recorded in DC this week:
- Douglas Farley, a man who was set on fire in Southeast Washington last week, died as a result of his injuries. Shawn Lewis has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Farley’s death.
- Marvin Harvey, 23, was fatally stabbed in Northeast DC Wednesday afternoon; 22-year-old Asia Dontrese Moore has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the case.
- Howard University student Omar Sykes, 22, was fatally shot Thursday in what is believed to have been a robbery attempt on Sykes and another man. That man was beaten. No arrests have been announced in connection with the case.
- Christopher Ballard, 38, of Southeast D.C, was fatally shot early Saturday morning at the intersection of 53rd and E Streets Southeast at 2:14 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wesley Monroe, 21, of Northeast D.C, was arrested in connection with the June 22 shooting death of 28-year-old Quentin White. White was found in the 3500 block of East Capitol Street Southeast suffering from a gunshot wound; he later died at a local hospital.
Davon Holmes was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed in connection with the death of 24-year-old Marcellus Bailey. Bailey was stabbed near the corner of 8th Street and Jefferson Street Northwest on August 3, 2011. He was discovered by police around 2:45 a.m., injured and bleeding profusely from his neck; he later died at Washington Hospital Center.
Three days before the verdict was reached, while the trial was still underway, a testifying witness died following a fight. Metropolitan police are conducting a death investigation in the case and have not declared the death a homicide. MPD Chief Cathy Lanier said the cases were “unrelated.”
Herbert Hayes‘ murder trial began this week with prosecutors arguing that Hayes stabbed John Wesley Griffin four times “with precision,” ran away, then “boasted” about it on his cellphone to a friend and to his ex-wife. Russell Hairston, Hayes’ defense attorney, called the government’s evidence “lacking” and told jurors that in the course of the trial no witness will testify that Hayes harmed Griffin.
This week marked the second consecutive year that D.C. has experienced an Independence Day killing.
Omar Sykes, a 22-year-old Howard University student, was shot in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m. July 4; he later died at the hospital. Police believe his death was the result of an attempted robbery.
After the jump is a collection of Tweets and Facebook posts that have been published in memory of Sykes.
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A man killed early Saturday morning has been identified as Christopher Ballard, 38, of Southeast D.C.
Police found Ballard at the intersection of 53rd and E Streets Southeast at 2:14 a.m. after responding to the sound of gunfire. He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead on the scene.
A press release from MPD is below: Read more
Shawn Lewis, the man accused of lighting fire to 38-year-old Douglas Farley last week, has been held on a charge of second-degree murder while armed pending a preliminary hearing scheduled July 9 in connection with Farley’s death.
Lewis appeared in court Friday to be presented with the charge
Charging documents in the case say the fire attack stemmed from an argument Farley and Lewis had days prior.
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