Do you know who killed Bryant McClain in 2019? In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 8, 2019, the sound of multiple gunshots shattered the predawn quiet in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C. When police responded to the 800 block of Crittenden Street, Northwest, just after 12:58 a.m., they discovered the body of a man who had been fatally wounded. The victim was identified as 46-year-old Bryant McClain, a male with no fixed address. He was pronounced dead at the scene from the multiple gunshot wounds he sustained.
The Metropolitan Police Department immediately began an investigation into the homicide, seeking assistance from the public and offering a substantial reward for information that would lead to an arrest and conviction in the case.
For months, the investigation into McClain's murder continued. In March of 2020, a significant break in the case led to the arrest of Davon Patterson, then 29 years old. Patterson was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with McClain's death. As the case moved through the court system, a D.C. Superior Court judge determined there was enough evidence for the case against Patterson to proceed to trial, a decision the judge noted was a close call. Prosecutors built their case around the testimony of multiple witnesses who identified Patterson as the shooter, and video evidence that captured a person running from the scene shortly after the gunshots were heard.
During a search of Patterson's residence, authorities discovered two firearms and PCP. However, forensic testing revealed that neither of the seized guns was the weapon used to kill Bryant McClain, and no DNA or fingerprint evidence at the scene matched Patterson. Patterson's defense attorney argued that the witness identifications were based on hearsay. Despite these challenges to the evidence, the court ordered Patterson to be held in D.C. Jail. By December 2021, Patterson had been indicted on charges of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, and was awaiting further court proceedings.
