On a Tuesday afternoon, January 4, 2022, the life of 18-year-old Dmaree Rayquan Miller, a Black male, was tragically cut short in the hallway of an apartment building in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred at approximately 4:37 p.m. in the 3300 block of 12th Street, Southeast. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found Miller suffering from fatal gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead.
Investigations into the shooting revealed that Miller, accompanied by a friend,
had arranged to purchase a firearm from an individual named Devon Edwards and another person. However, the transaction took a violent turn when Edwards allegedly attempted to rob Miller. In the course of the attempted robbery, Miller was shot and killed. This fatal encounter highlights the dangers of illegal firearm transactions and the persistent issue of gun violence in the community.
In the months following the shooting, law enforcement officials gathered evidence that led them to a suspect. On March 22, 2022, 18-year-old Devon Edwards was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Miller's death. The evidence against Edwards was substantial, including GPS data from a monitoring device he was wearing, which placed him at the scene of the crime. Surveillance footage further corroborated his presence at the location.
A search of Edwards' nearby apartment uncovered a 9mm semi-automatic 'ghost gun' equipped with a laser and an extended magazine. At the time of the fatal shooting, Edwards was on supervised release for prior offenses, which included unlawful firearm possession. During preliminary court hearings, a judge found that there was substantial probable cause to move forward with the charges against him. Consequently, Edwards was ordered to be held without bail as he awaits trial. The case against him is currently ongoing within the legal system.
