In the early morning hours of January 2, 2011, Brian Curtis Scott, a 21-year-old Black male, became the first homicide victim of the new year in Washington, D.C. The shooting occurred around 7:00 a.m. at the intersection of 13th Place and Congress Street SE, a corner in Southeast D.C. known for violence. Scott was there to pick up his cousin, Tavon Bell, when an SUV reportedly pulled up and someone inside opened fire on both of them. Scott was fatally wounded, while his cousin survived the attack.
A resident of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Scott was a graduate of Crossland Senior High School's class of 2008. He was the father of a young daughter named Ailea. In the wake of his death, his family remembered him as a loving father and son. Though he had faced incarceration in his past, his mother, Bonnie Scott, said he had developed a strong relationship with his faith and was working towards getting his GED, hoping for a productive future.
She described her son as someone who had a positive impact on many lives and was not involved in any drama.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch launched an investigation into the shooting. Despite their efforts and frequent communication with Scott's mother, the case grew cold. Investigators told Bonnie Scott that they believed they knew who was responsible for her son's murder but lacked the necessary evidence to make an arrest. They indicated that witnesses were not cooperating with the police. As of late 2011, no suspects had been publicly named, and no arrests had been made in connection with the murder of Brian Curtis Scott. The case is one of many unsolved homicides in the city that year.
