Kevo RIP

Graffitti memorial to "Kevo" - on a bus stop in front of a Post office
at 2341 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC.

I could find no more information on Kevo or this shrine.

R.I.P.

Shrine to Jelani Slay

This shrine to Jelani Slay, 34, of Clinton MD, is in front of 5309 B St SE, Washington DC. Mr. Slay was shot March 6 2009 by an off duty police officer. According to published reports, "police said Slay, wearing a mask and brandishing a gun, tried to rob the officer in the 5300 block of B St SE.

Slay, who had a record of armed robberies and other crimes dating back to the 1990s, was hired as a Metrobus driver two months after getting out of prison, where he spent nearly 11 years. Court records show that he was charged with voluntary manslaughter after he fatally shot an armed man during a dispute on a D.C. street in March 1992. A grand jury declined to indict him in the case.

A month later, police said, Slay & 3 acquaintances robbed 2 D.C. men of cocaine, cash & a weapon. One of the victims was shot to death by one of Slay's accomplices, police said. Slay was charged with felony murder & several other offenses.

That summer, in a separate case, he also was charged with selling cocaine and illegal gun possession. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the cases and, because he was still a teenager, was sentenced to probation. In April 1996, though, after he robbed two men at gunpoint in the District, he was given a prison sentence. He stayed there until January 2007.

Because Slay's last felony occurred more than a decade before he applied for a Metro job - he was in prison all those years - his criminal record did not disqualify him, Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said."

But still, it's a tragedy. And someone cared enough to honor and remember him.

Ebony and Delores DeWitt; mother and daughter

This shrine to Ebony and Delores DeWitt, slain mother and daughter, is in the front yard of 9704 Cedarhollow Lane Largo MD, a quiet, well-kept suburban neighborhood. Their charred bodies were discovered in the remains of a burning car reported stolen from a nearby home.

The DeWitt's are the second grown mother-daughter pair to be murdered in this neighborhoood recently.
In January, Karen and Karissa Lofton were found shot in their home about half a mile away. According to the PG Gazette, this has "prompted police to assign more than two dozen investigators to those cases.

Connected or not, detectives say each set of killings is baffling in its own right. The absence of an obvious suspect or motive - an angry ex-boyfriend, a drug deal gone bad -- has made the slayings more unsettling for residents than any in years in Prince George's."

I was given permission by the family to photograph the shrine. They looked deeply mournful. I pray they get some answers, and some peace.

Peace.

Christopher Quattlebaum's Memorial

This shrine to Christopher Quattlebaum (Uncle Chris on his memorial tee shirt) is in front of a busy liquor store, located at 6460 Central Ave, Seat Pleasant MD (in Prince George's County).

Police found Mr. Quattlebaum, 48, of Red Jade Dr, in a car with stab wounds to his upper body. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died, on 8/24/08. Police believe he approached his killer for unknown reasons, and may have tried to punch him before he was stabbed.

I could find no other information.

Lil Kenny's shrine, Capitol Heights

This shrine to "Lil Kenny" is in the highway median of the 7200 block of Central Avenue, Capitol Heights, MD, adjacent to the New Life Assembly of God.

I believe, though I am not 100% certain, that this shrine is in memory of Denver Kenneth Cannedy, 19, who was found on August 13, 2008 with gunshot wounds to his upper body, in the 6100 block of Old Central Ave in Capitol Heights, MD. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died. Accoring to police, he may have been in an argument or altercation prior to his shooting. No motive was known for his murder.

May you, your friends, and your family know peace.

"...n't call nobody (trash) in heaven. " R.I.P. Carlton Hill

This shrine is in the 1600 block of W St SE, Washington DC.

On 10:14 PM Saturday February 7, 2009, DC police officers and Emergency Services personnel responded to the report of a shooting in this block. On arriving, officers found two men suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They were transported to a local hospital.

Carlton Hill, 25, of Clinton, MD was pronounced dead at 12:26 am on February 8th. The other victim's identity is being witheld, as he is considered a potential witness by authorities.

The photo of the young woman pointing is of Erica (no last name given), who was his close friend, & who created the shrine.

Mr. Hill was also known affectionately as "Jerk"

Washington Monuments- both kinds

While on assignment to photograph a panorama of Washington DC from its eastern side, I found this small shrine, in the mid 300 block of 37th St SE, on the grounds of John Phillip Sousa Junior High School.

You can see the Washington Monument in the far distance. As DC is generally a low-lying city, this is the first time I have been encountered a shrine with the grand monuments on the federal Mall visible.

I am not certain who this shrine is for. It was exceptionally cold out, not long after dawn, so I saw no residents to inquire about it.

It could be to James Randolph, 49 who was killed in this block on Jan 27, 2008. No leads in the killing have been reported.

It could also be for Tyson Eldridge, 26, who was found less than a 1/2 block away on August 20, 2008, dead with stab wounds to his body. Thomas Evans, 23, was charged with his murder on August 21, 2007.

Beautiful view. Very troubled neighborhood.

End of the road for Manuel Garcia

This shrine, erected on a parking meter in the 3900 block of 14th St. NW, Washington DC, is to Manuel Garcia, 23, who was found lying in the street with gunshot wounds a little after 1:00 AM on February 8, 2009.

He, along with another man who was also wounded nearby, were transported to a hospital, where Mr. Garcia died about four hours later. The other victim, whose name was not released, was expected to survive.

End of the road. Vaya con Dios.

Shrine for Antwan Proctor

Mr. Antwan Proctor, who lived on Southview Drive in Oxon Hill MD, was killed in the 3400 block 13th Place SE, Washington DC, on Feb. 1, 2008, according to a brief press report.

There was a young teen girl happily posing for pictures by one of her friends at the far end of this walkway while I was making these pictures.

It was very cold out.

But not as cold as a murderer's heart.


UPDATE January 2011
I revisited this site while scouting for a possible shrine to Brian Curtis Scott, who was killed in this block on Jan. 2, 2011. The police patrolmen I met there said the only shrine was this older bottle shrine, on the site of Mr. Proctor's previous shrine.

Darren Byas' teddy bear & cross

This shrine, consisting only of two small white teddybears, one bearing a cross, has been erected to Darren Byas in a slender tree in the 3500 block of 7th St SE, Washington DC.
He was killed in this block on Jan 9, 2009. Police said they have no suspect in his shooting.

On 9/29/08, I photographed remnants of the crime scene tape for Aaron Thomas, who was killed about 100 feet from this shrine. Shreds of it were still flapping in the cold winter wind.

So much trouble in this world.

UPDATE:
I was passing near this shrine on March 25, 2009, and found that
the memorial has been added to considerably since I first photographed it in early February.

Somebody cares.

A Tiger for Ronaldo J. Butler

This shrine to Ronaldo J. Butler is on Pennsylvania Ave in Suitland MD, betwen Silver Hill Rd and Parkland Rd. He was the first slaying victim in Prince Georges County of the year, killed on Jan. 10, 2009.

According to the Washington Post, Mr. Butler was fatally wounded when a gunman in a car fired into a car carrying Mr Butler & 5 other people near Pennsylvania Avenue & Walters Lane in District Heights, MD. Two others in the car were wounded by the gunfire, & three others were hurt when the car crashed a mile or so away near Silver Hill Rd. No motives or suspets for the shooting were yet known by the police.

In the past few months, four or five others have been killed within a block of this shooting.
See: "Memorial to A.D." posted to this blog on 12/30/08
http://dcshrines.blogspot.com/2008/12/memorial-to-ad.html

Very tough neighborhood, though it doesn't appear so at first sight.

Sad.

Sneakers in memory of Gregory Manago

These two separate sets of new white sneakers tossed over powerlines mark the site of the passage of Gregory Manago.

According to press reports, Mr. Manago, 25, was shot several times in the 3500 block of Stanton Rd SE, Washington DC,
shortly before 1:00 AM on January 2nd 2009. He died in a DC hospital on January 8th at 8:22 AM. The shooting is still under investigation by police.

He has stopped running...