Abdullah Raheem Fuller, a 35-year-old male who was African-American/Black, was shot in the early morning darkness of September 20, 2009, on the 1300 block of Perry Street NE in Washington, D.C., a quiet stretch that sits across from the Franciscan Monastery’s gardens. Officers responding around 5 a.m. found him collapsed in the street with multiple gunshot wounds; he was rushed to a hospital but died a few hours later.
Neighbors woke to flashing lights cutting across the otherwise tranquil Brookland neighborhood, a jarring contrast to the monastery’s serene grounds just beyond the trees.
Fuller’s death left ripples far beyond the crime scene tape. Public records and memorial notices identify him as Abdullah Raheem Fuller, whose life ended that Sunday morning; his obituary lists loved ones he left behind, underscoring the family suddenly forced to navigate grief and unanswered questions. The official reward flier and police notice fix the moment with stark precision—5:08 a.m., Perry Street NE—details that have endured as the case remains open.
In the weeks and years since, the Metropolitan Police Department has continued to seek information from anyone who might know what happened on that block before dawn. Available public records do not report an arrest or identify a suspect in Fuller’s killing; the case is listed among D.C.’s unsolved homicides, with a standing reward offered for tips that lead to an arrest and conviction. The absence of an identified suspect has kept the narrative suspended—an early morning run of gunfire, a hurried ride to the hospital, and a family’s loss, still awaiting resolution.
