In the early morning hours of July 17, 2011, a Southeast, Washington, D.C. man named Pernell Lonnie Dawkins, 43, was shot in the 300 block of Ridge Road, SE. The incident, which occurred at approximately 2:31 a.m., left him with a severe gunshot wound. Emergency services responded to the scene and transported him to a local hospital in critical condition.
The single gunshot resulted in paralysis, forever altering the course of Mr. Dawkins' life. Following the initial hospitalization, he was moved to a rehabilitation center in Maryland to receive ongoing care for his extensive injuries. For months, he fought to recover from the devastating impact of the shooting.
Tragically, on March 14, 2012, Pernell Lonnie Dawkins succumbed to the injuries he had sustained nearly eight months prior.
His death was officially ruled a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, with the cause determined to be the gunshot wound he suffered in the summer of 2011. The Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch has been investigating the fatal shooting. To date, authorities have not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in connection with the case. The investigation remains open, and police have appealed to the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death.
