In the heart of a summer afternoon in Washington, D.C., the sound of gunshots shattered the calm on First Street in the Southeast quadrant of the city. On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at approximately 12:58 p.m., members of the Seventh District responded to reports of gunfire. Upon their arrival at the 3700 block, they discovered an adult male inside a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim was identified as 43-year-old Anthony Joseph Mitchell, Jr., a resident of Southeast,
D.C. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene, and Mitchell was quickly transported to a local hospital for treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. A subsequent autopsy revealed that Mitchell had sustained two gunshot wounds, one to his face and another that was lodged in his back. Investigators at the scene recovered three 9mm bullet casings in the street near the vehicle where he was found.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch took charge of the investigation. Their work led them to identify a suspect in the fatal shooting. More than two months later, on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, their efforts culminated in an arrest. Pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended 39-year-old Brian Foster of Fort Washington, Maryland. Foster was subsequently charged with First Degree Murder While Armed in connection with the shooting death of Anthony Mitchell. Following the arrest, the case was set to proceed through the court system, with a preliminary hearing scheduled to determine if there was sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial.
