In the early moments of a Friday morning, just after midnight on April 21, 2023, the life of 32-year-old Dajuan Blakney was tragically cut short in the Fairlawn neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. Blakney was seated on the steps leading to an apartment building in the 1500 block of 19th Street, SE, when he was fatally shot. Metropolitan Police Department officers, on their way to another call, discovered Blakney unresponsive at the scene, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the arrival of DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services, he showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the location.
The investigation into Blakney's death led authorities to a suspect with whom he was reportedly acquainted. Witnesses informed police that Blakney had been in an ongoing dispute with a man later identified as Darrell Hinkle. Surveillance footage from the scene captured a man, identified as Hinkle, approaching Blakney with an assault-style rifle. The two appeared to exchange words before the gunman opened fire, striking Blakney multiple times.
In October 2023, 35-year-old Darrell Hinkle of Southeast, D.C., was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Blakney's death. Hinkle remained in custody, and in September 2025, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. As part of a plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to a prison term of 17 to 21 years. His sentencing is scheduled for January 16, 2026. Ballistic evidence from the rifle used in Blakney's murder also linked the weapon to two other shooting scenes in the District that year.
