In the summer of 2020, a young Black man named Antwon Duncan, aged 20, lost his life in a fatal shooting in Southeast Washington, D.C. The incident occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, June 28, 2020, in the 2600 block of Birney Place, SE. Responding to reports of gunshots around 12:33 p.m., police officers arrived to find Duncan suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Duncan's death swiftly identified a suspect. A few weeks later, on July 15, 2020, homicide detectives arrested 19-year-old Diamante Butler, also of Southeast D.C. Butler was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed. It was later revealed that Duncan and Butler had been friends at one point.
In November 2023, Diamante Butler pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder while armed as part of a plea agreement. In May 2024, a judge sentenced Butler to 16 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. During the sentencing, members of Antwon Duncan's family, including his mother, delivered emotional victim impact statements, speaking of their profound loss and the tragic turn of events that led to a young man taking the life of his former friend.
