Thursday, September 19, 2013

Street memorial to the victims of the mass shooting at the Navy Yard


This spontaneous shrine has been created in memory of the thirteen people killed in the Navy Yard shooting of Monday, September 16, 2013. It is in the 600 block of M Street SE, Washington, DC, just outside the main gate.

It honors Aaron Adams, Arthur Daniels, Frank Kohler, Gerald L. Read, John Roger Johnson, Kathy Gaarde, Kenneth Bernard Proctor, Martin Bodrog, Mary Francis Knight, Michael Arnold, Richard Michael Ridgell, Sylvia Frasier, and Vishnu Pandit. May they rest in peace, and their families be comforted.

The alleged gunman, Aaron Alexis, also died in the shooting episode.






More complete information is available at HomicideWatch.
and the Washington Post.

I revisited this memorial recently. There were some additions made to the site, as below.








Friday, September 13, 2013

Candles, bears, hearts, and roses for Donald Ray Brown - 900 block of Third Street SW

From a DC police report: On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at approximately 9:18 pm, officers from the First District responded to the 200 block of K Street SW, Washington DC, for the report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they were directed to the 900 block of 3rd Street SW where they located an unconscious adult male suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds.  DC Fire and EMS responded and transported the victim, identified as Donald Ray Brown, 28, to a local hospital where he was pronounced. A second juvenile female victim was located suffering from a gunshot wound to the hand. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment and released.

The shooting occurred in a courtyard area of the Greenleaf Gardens apartments.  This memorial has been erected on the sidewalk in the parking lot. It is just a couple of blocks from Arena Stage and the DC waterfront.








There is more and ongoing information at HomicideWatch.

I rephotographed this memorial. Here are some additional images from the site.



Double shrine for Alonte Sutton and Marcus Brown - Newcomb Street SE

While looking for a possible new shrine to a recent slaying victim in this neighborhood, I encountered this legacy memorial at the edge of a park in the 200 block of Newcomb Street SE
Washington, DC. It honors Alonte Michael Sutton, who was killed on May 8, 2010, and Marcus Brown, who was killed June 14, 2009.

The DC police report for Mr. Sutton.  At approximately 10:50 a.m. on Sunday, May 9, 2010, members from the Seventh District responded to the 200 block of Newcomb Street, SE, Washington DC, for the report of a missing person. While investigating this report, members received information that the missing person had been seen the day before in the 200 block of Newcomb Street SE being chased into a wooded area by a suspect who was shooting at him. This information was consistent with a report of the sound of gunshots in the area that police had responded to on the previous day.
Officers conducted a search of the wooded area and discovered the body of a male victim at the bottom of a steep incline where he had apparently fallen and was also suffering from several gunshot wounds.  Officers found no signs consistent with life. The victim has been identified as Alonte Michael Sutton.


Demarcus Brown had an earlier shrine erected in his honor. It was documented on this blog at the time (the DC police report is linked there).


Obviously someone in the area cares greatly for them, and has kept their memories alive with this ongoing shrine.




Yellow tape | 700 block of Langston Terrace NE; for Tracy Lamont Day

From a DC police report: On Friday, August 23, 2013 at approximately 11:12 pm, patrol officers from the Fifth District responded to the 700 block of Langston Terrace NE, Washington DC, for the report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they located an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. DC Fire and EMS transported the victim, identified as Tracy Lamont Day, 38, to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. 

I spoke with two women, both mothers of school-aged children, at the site of this crime-scene tape. They said that though there are obvious challenges, this historic complex has generally been a fairly safe environment for their families.

Peace.

More information on this case is on Homicidewatch.