In the late evening hours of May 17, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the night on a street in Southwest Washington, D.C., leaving a family heartbroken and a community shaken. When Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived at the unit block of O Street around 10:18 p.m., they found 27-year-old Daqual Covington suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate response from emergency services, Covington was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting painted a picture of a fateful encounter between two men described as 'arch-enemies.' Covington, who was walking with a close friend, passed a group of four individuals that included Trevon Devore. Surveillance footage from the area captured the moments that followed. In the video, Devore was seen turning back around a corner, pulling a firearm from a satchel, and pointing it in Covington's direction before fleeing with his companions. Investigators recovered eleven. 45-caliber shell casings at the scene, all determined to have been fired from the same weapon. While a 9mm firearm was found on Covington's body, there was no evidence to suggest he had fired it.
Four months later, on September 28, 2021, authorities arrested 20-year-old Trevon Devore, charging him with second-degree murder while armed. The case proceeded through the justice system, and in October 2024, Devore, then 24, accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard from Covington's aunt, who remembered her nephew as 'kind, dependable, and well thought of by his peers.' Devore's defense attorney argued that her client was frightened during the encounter, though she conceded he should never have fired his weapon. Ultimately, a judge sentenced Trevon Devore to 12 years in prison for his role in the death of Daqual Covington.
