Malik Spears, 16, was shot in the courtyard of the Brookland Manor apartment complex in Northeast Washington, D.C., on the night of Monday, June 3, 2013. At approximately 11:18 pm he was in a large group in the 1200 block of Brentwood Road, NE when shots were fired. Hemorrhaging from his wounds, Spears staggered into an apartment building and collapsed on a stairwell. He was taken to a local hospital and died the following afternoon, Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

A ninth-grade student at Options Public Charter School, Spears was remembered by friends and family as lovable and comedic and not known to be a troublemaker. The Metropolitan Police Department opened a homicide investigation and said detectives were trying to determine a motive; it was unclear whether Spears was the intended target. No arrests or suspect identifications have been announced.

If anyone who knew Malik or who was in the Brookland Manor courtyard that night has information, please come forward.