In the early morning hours of April 27, 2024, the lively atmosphere of the U Street corridor in Northwest Washington, D.C. was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Inside Desperados Burgers & Bar, a dispute escalated into a fatal encounter for 43-year-old Kenneth Goins, a Black male from Salisbury, Maryland. Metropolitan Police Department officers, who were on patrol in the popular nightlife area, heard the shots at approximately 1:12 a.m.
and rushed to the scene.
Upon entering the restaurant, they discovered Goins suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by first responders, his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation that followed pointed to an altercation that had taken place inside the bar moments before the shooting. Witnesses reported that a fight had broken out between Goins and another man, which ended with the deadly gunfire.
The investigation led police to identify 40-year-old Robert Lowe, of Montgomery Village, Maryland, as the suspect. On May 20, 2024, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended Lowe under a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in Goins's death. During a court hearing in June, a judge determined there was probable cause to move forward with the case, based on evidence presented that included witness testimony identifying Lowe as the individual who fought with Goins just before the fatal shots were fired.
