In the early evening of January 7, 2023, a sudden act of violence cut short the life of 20-year-old Terry William Cordell Clark, a male resident of Southeast Washington D.C. The fatal encounter unfolded just outside the Navy Yard Metro Station on the 1200 block of Half Street, SE. At approximately 7:55 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting and discovered Clark on the sidewalk, unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound.
Despite the efforts of emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Clark's death revealed that the moments leading up to the shooting were captured on surveillance footage. Clark had been on an escalator leaving the metro station when he encountered Tyriq Jamal Williams, a 32-year-old man from Northwest D.C., and a female companion. According to the indictment, Clark was seen bouncing on the stairs and making a fist-pumping gesture. After exiting the station, Williams separated from his companion, waited for Clark to walk by, and then approached him, shooting him once in the head. Williams then calmly walked away and re-entered the metro station, leaving the area by train.
Through their investigation, the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police Department were able to identify Williams as the suspect. He was arrested on January 20, 2023, by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Initially, Williams was charged with first-degree murder while armed. In April 2025, Tyriq Williams pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder while armed. His sentencing was scheduled for July of the same year.
