In the evening hours of November 10, 2016, a promising life was cut short in the Parkside neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C. Delano Deonte Jackson, a 25-year-old African-American man, was discovered inside a vehicle in the 3600 block of Grant Place NE, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. Authorities responded to a report of an unconscious man around 6:40 p.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene.
At the time of his death, Jackson, who had a degree in sports medicine from Elizabeth City State University, was driving for Uber to support himself while searching for a job in his field.
Originally from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Jackson had moved to Upper Marlboro, Maryland, about a year prior to his death, seeking better employment opportunities in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. His family described him as a sweet, loving, and humorous individual with an upbeat attitude who always greeted loved ones with a hug and a smile. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and his family was unaware of any reason why he would have been in that particular neighborhood, which was about 15 miles from where he was living.
The Metropolitan Police Department has been investigating the homicide but has not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in the case. The killing of Delano Jackson is one of the unsolved homicides in the District of Columbia for 2016. Authorities have offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death. His family continues to seek justice and closure in the wake of their tragic loss.
