On a cool Halloween night in 2012, the Eckington neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C., became the scene of a fatal shooting. Anthony Weathers, a 25-year-old male, was in an alley in the 300 block of V Street NE when he was shot multiple times. Despite his injuries, Weathers managed to run from the alley, across 4th Street, before collapsing in the 2000 block of the same street. Emergency personnel responded to the scene around 9:48 p.m., but Weathers succumbed to his injuries and died there.
For years, the case of Anthony Weathers' death remained unsolved, leaving a lingering question in the community. Investigators had suspicions but lacked the evidence to bring charges. The silence in the case was finally broken in September 2023, nearly eleven years after the shooting, when police made an arrest. Deangelo Opey, 31, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Weathers' death. All individuals involved were reportedly acquaintances.
The investigation revealed a tangled story of alleged betrayal and witness intimidation. According to court documents, a witness told police early in the investigation that Opey had accused Weathers of stealing a firearm from him. Another witness claimed to have seen Opey tuck a gun into his waistband just moments before seeing the mortally wounded Weathers stagger and collapse. The break in the case came when an imprisoned informant provided crucial information that connected the pieces for detectives. This new information suggested a sinister link to another unsolved homicide. Vernon Davis, who was fatally shot nearly a year after Weathers, was allegedly murdered because he had witnessed Weathers' killing and had responded to a grand jury subpoena. Gregory Smithwick, 31, was charged with first-degree murder in Davis's death.
