Do you know who murdered Donald Jerome Shipp Jr? On the night of April 12, 1979, just days before his 28th birthday, Donald Jerome Shipp Jr. was fatally shot while sitting in a car with his girlfriend in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The couple was parked in front of Shipp's home on the 3300 block of 19th Street Northwest at approximately 11 p.m. when an assailant approached their vehicle.
The man, who had exited a 1969 Chevy Chevelle, walked across the street and opened fire through the driver's side window, striking Shipp multiple times. His girlfriend was also wounded by a bullet to her hip but survived the attack.
The investigation into the homicide uncovered a few potential leads, though the case remains unsolved more than three decades later. Authorities located the suspected getaway car, which belonged to a man known as 'Chico,' a member of a gang called the Young-uns. Another person of interest was a man nicknamed 'June Bug,' with whom Shipp had been involved in an altercation the day prior to the shooting. During that confrontation, Shipp had reportedly brandished a pellet gun. Both 'Chico' and 'June Bug' were placed in a police lineup, but Shipp's girlfriend was unable to identify either of them as the shooter.
The Metropolitan Police Department continues to seek information from the public regarding this cold case and is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Donald Jerome Shipp Jr.'s murder. The investigation is being handled by the department's Homicide Case Review Project. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Metropolitan Police Department.
