In the late hours of a Wednesday evening, the sound of gunfire shattered the peace in a Northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood. On September 11, 2013, 32-year-old Delonta Hendrix, a Black male, was caught in a burst of violence that would cut his life short. The incident, a quadruple shooting, unfolded in the 1100 block of 1st Street, NW, just before midnight.
Metropolitan Police Department officers, responding to the reports of gunshots, discovered a chaotic scene. Hendrix was found unconscious with apparent gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead. Three other adult males were also wounded in the shooting, sustaining injuries to their limbs and lower bodies, though none of their wounds were considered life-threatening.
The investigation into the shooting suggested that the men may have been involved in a dice game when the shots were fired.
Despite the presence of multiple victims and witnesses, details about the perpetrator or perpetrators remained scarce in the immediate aftermath. The Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department took charge of the investigation, appealing to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest.
In the years that have followed the death of Delonta Hendrix, the case has remained open. No arrests have been publicly announced, nor have any suspects been officially named in connection with the shooting. The Metropolitan Police Department continues to list the case as an unsolved homicide and offers a reward for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The violent night that claimed one life and injured three others remains an unresolved chapter in the city's history.
