In the early evening of July 9, 2017, a burst of gunfire shattered the relative quiet of a Suitland, Maryland alleyway, leaving two young men dead. One of the victims was 22-year-old Courtney Simms of Temple Hills. He and his companion, 23-year-old Anthony Douglas of Marlow Heights, were fatally shot around 7:20 p.m. in an alley situated between businesses in the 4600 block of Silver Hill Road.
The initial investigation led detectives to suspect that the shooting occurred during an attempted robbery.
Prince George's County police quickly launched a homicide investigation, seeking the public's help in identifying the individuals responsible for this violent act. Their efforts led them to identify three suspects. Surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing the suspects' vehicle and their movements toward the victims. This evidence proved crucial in the subsequent arrests. Within weeks of the double homicide, the first suspect was in custody.
Jharrod Armstrong, a 19-year-old from Northwest Washington, was arrested and charged with first and second-degree murder. The search for the remaining suspects continued, and authorities identified 27-year-old Robert Suesbury, also of Northwest Washington, as the second individual involved. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was later taken into custody, facing the same serious charges of first and second-degree murder. Police also sought to identify a third man seen in the surveillance video in connection with the fatal shootings.
