On the evening of March 13, 2025, a dispute in the Marshall Heights neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. turned fatal, ending the life of 33-year-old Darius Nico Young. A native of the District, Young was a longtime city employee working in human resources. He also assisted his father, a retired D.C. police officer, with a catering business and was known by some as 'Chef Nico' for his generosity and passion for cooking.
That night, after catering an event with his father, Young was in the neighborhood selling extra meals.
The shooting occurred at approximately 9:26 p.m. outdoors in the 5000 block of H Street, Southeast. Following the sound of gunshots, officers found Young inside an establishment in the 5000 block of Benning Road, Southeast, suffering from gunshot wounds. It is believed he ran there after being shot. D.C. Fire and EMS personnel transported him to a local hospital, but despite all lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced deceased. The killing marked the end of a 16-day period without a homicide in the city, the longest such stretch in at least six years.
The investigation into the death of the male victim led police to identify a suspect. According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect had been angry with Young for breaking up a fight earlier. Surveillance video reportedly captured the two arguing shortly before the shooting. Young was unarmed at the time of the confrontation.
On March 31, 2025, members of the Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 37-year-old Cornell Antoine Day of Southeast, D.C. Day was subsequently charged with First Degree Murder while Armed in connection with the shooting death of Darius Young. A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered him to be detained.
