In the late hours of a Thursday in July 2020, a sequence of events unfolded that would end the life of 20-year-old Anthony Riley of Northeast, DC. On July 16, 2020, at approximately 10:43 pm, Mr. Riley was shot and killed in the 100 block of Walnut Street, NW.
Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the scene at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Walnut Street, NW, to assist Takoma Park Police with what initially appeared to be a traffic accident.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Riley and another adult male inside a vehicle, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services transported both men to a local hospital. While the second victim survived his injuries, Anthony Riley succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest. The subsequent investigation determined that the shooting caused Riley's vehicle to accelerate and crash.
According to the surviving victim, who was in business with Riley selling clothing, two individuals had entered their vehicle and demanded money. When Riley and his companion stated they had none, the assailants opened fire. The suspects then reportedly leaped from the moving vehicle shortly before it crashed. Surveillance footage from the area captured images of two suspects heading toward and later leaving the crime scene.
An investigation by the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department led to a significant break in the case. Detectives examining Riley's phone records discovered an Instagram call that took place shortly before the fatal encounter. This call was with 16-year-old Quincy Tate Johnson of Takoma Park, Maryland. Subsequently, on August 20, 2020, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Johnson, who was then charged as an adult with first-degree murder while armed. The case against Johnson has since been moving through the court system, with a judge determining there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
