In the early morning hours of September 11, 2007, a young man’s life was tragically cut short in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Eighteen-year-old Rashawn Winslow, a Black male, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds at approximately 1:40 a.m. on the first-floor landing of an apartment building in the 200 block of W Street NW. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, the case remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made in connection with his murder.
Two years prior to his death, Rashawn’s mother, Dorothea Winslow, had moved him out of the LeDroit Park area in an attempt to steer him away from the negative influences of city life. The family relocated first to South Carolina and then to College Park, Maryland. However, Rashawn’s strong ties to his old neighborhood continually drew him back to visit friends.
His mother noted a negative change in his attitude a few years before his death and expressed her concern that he was associating with the very people she had tried to distance him from. His cousin, a prominent D.C. peace activist, also tried to intervene by helping him find a job or return to school, but those efforts were not successful.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crimes Branch is leading the ongoing investigation into Rashawn Winslow's death. A reward of up to $25,000 has been offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his killing. Authorities continue to seek assistance from the public in the hopes of bringing closure to Rashawn's family and solving this cold case. His death is a stark reminder of the persistent issue of violence that plagued the District during that time.
