In the early evening hours of Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, the sound of gunshots shattered the peace in the 1400 block of Fairmont Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C. When officers from the Third District arrived at the scene around 6:21 p.m., they discovered two young men suffering from gunshot wounds, unconscious and unresponsive. One of the victims was 19-year-old Willie Leon Brown Jr., a male resident of Northwest, D.C.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the location in
front of an apartment complex in the Columbia Heights area. Both Brown and the other victim, 22-year-old Christopher Beckwith Jr., were rushed to a local hospital. Beckwith succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead that same day. Brown was admitted in critical condition, fighting for his life.
For five days, Willie Leon Brown Jr. clung to life. However, his injuries proved to be too severe. On Saturday, May 30, 2020, he passed away at the hospital. His death was ruled a homicide, the second to result from the Memorial Day shooting.
Detectives from the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department are actively investigating the double homicide. As of now, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with the shooting of Willie Leon Brown Jr. and Christopher Beckwith Jr. The police are urging anyone with information about the case to come forward and are offering a substantial reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this fatal shooting.
