In the quiet, early morning hours of May 17, 2011, the neighborhood of Forest Heights, Maryland, was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When police arrived at the 600 block of Modoc Lane around 1:50 a.m., they discovered a grim scene. Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Jamar Carroll and his friend, twenty-two-year-old Okasha M. Hawkins, had both been shot and killed in what was determined to be a double homicide.
One of the young men was found lying in the street, while the other was discovered in a nearby yard.
Joshua, who was a resident of Southeast Washington, was known to his loved ones as a sweet and soft-spoken person. He had graduated from the Forestville Military Academy High School and worked at a local Pizza Hut. He was a father and was deeply loved by his family, including his parents and siblings. His death, alongside his friend Okasha, who lived on the street where the shooting occurred, left both families and the community in shock.
In the immediate aftermath of the killings, the motive for the shooting was unclear to investigators. Residents of the typically quiet neighborhood reported hearing a series of gunshots, a pause, and then several more. Despite the initial investigation by the Prince George's County police, no suspects were publicly identified, and no arrests were announced in the days and weeks that followed.
Years have passed since the tragic deaths of Joshua Jamar Carroll and Okasha M. Hawkins, but the case remains unresolved. There have been no subsequent news reports or police announcements regarding any arrests, charges, or convictions in connection with the double homicide. The senseless act of violence that claimed the lives of two young men continues to be an open wound for their families, who are still awaiting justice. The case stands as a somber reminder of a life cut short and a crime that has yet to be solved.
