In the early moments of a Monday morning in the nation's capital, a violent encounter unfolded within the walls of an apartment near Logan Circle, leaving two men dead. Just after midnight on December 20, 2021, police were called to a residence in the 1400 block of P Street Northwest for a report of a shooting. Inside, they discovered the bodies of 25-year-old Johnny Coles of Northwest, D.C., and 27-year-old Nycholas Hester of Houston, Texas.
Both men, suffering from gunshot wounds, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch suggested a fatal confrontation in which the two men exchanged gunfire. Detectives believe the incident may have stemmed from an attempted robbery, with one of the men trying to rob the other. The shooting took place on the second floor of the DeSoto Apartments, shattering the quiet of the neighborhood.
As the investigation into the double-fatal shooting continued, it was determined that both Johnny Coles and Nycholas Hester had succumbed to the injuries they inflicted upon each other. Because the two individuals involved in the shootout were both deceased, there were no suspects publicly identified or sought in connection with their deaths, and consequently, no arrests were made. The case remained open, with authorities encouraging anyone with information to come forward, offering a substantial reward for information leading to a conviction in any homicide in the District.
