In the early moments of a summer Friday in Washington, D.C., a burst of gunfire shattered the overnight calm on Kennedy Street NW, leaving a man bleeding on the pavement. The man was 52-year-old Benson Thorne, Sr., a Black male who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The call came in to the Metropolitan Police Department at approximately 12:07 a.m. on June 18, 2021, sending officers to the 100 block of the street.
First responders rushed Thorne to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved too severe, and he succumbed to them the following day.
As detectives began their investigation into the fatal shooting, the narrative of the night's violence grew more complex. Around the same time Thorne was discovered, police found another man, 40-year-old Pierre Turnage, just a few blocks away in the 5100 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW. Turnage was inside a vehicle, also suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries and died two days later on June 20, 2021. A firearm was recovered from his vehicle, providing a crucial piece to the puzzle of what had transpired.
The investigation ultimately revealed a grim and self-contained tragedy. Detectives determined that Thorne and Turnage, who were known to each other, had been involved in a deadly exchange of gunfire on Kennedy Street. According to the police, Thorne had brandished a handgun and shot Turnage. In response, Turnage fired back, striking Thorne multiple times. After the shootout, the wounded Turnage managed to flee in his vehicle before being found by the authorities. With both men deceased, the police concluded that they were the sole individuals involved in the shooting. Consequently, no other suspects were sought, and no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Benson Thorne, Sr. and Pierre Turnage.
