On a Sunday evening in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C., a young man's life was cut short, leaving a family searching for answers that have yet to come. Sergio A. Verastegui, a 21-year-old male from Springfield, Virginia, was fatally shot on January 10, 2016. The incident occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. in the 2000 block of 32nd Place SE.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Verastegui suffering from a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the days following the shooting, Verastegui's parents, Shontina and Alfonzo Verastegui, made a public plea for information. They had driven to Washington, D.C., on the night of the shooting to look for their son and filed a missing person's report the next day. They acknowledged that their son had been dropped off in the area with the intention of purchasing illicit narcotics. Described as a 'decent good person' by his mother, the family expressed their profound grief and desire for justice for their only son. The murder was noted as unusual for the normally quiet residential area, unsettling residents.
The Metropolitan Police Department has continued to investigate the death of Sergio Verastegui, which was the third homicide in the District that year. Despite the ongoing investigation and a reward of $25,000 being offered for information leading to an arrest, the case remains unsolved. There have been no reports of any arrests made or suspects identified in connection with the shooting. The police have continued to ask for the public's assistance in gathering information regarding this homicide.
