In the pre-dawn hours of a summer Saturday in Washington, D.C., the life of 23-year-old Delwaun Lyons, a male resident of Southeast, was tragically cut short. On July 20, 2019, at approximately 3:47 a.m., officers from the Seventh District of the Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to the 3000 block of 30th Street, Southeast, following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Lyons unconscious, unresponsive, and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical services rushed him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the homicide led detectives to identify a suspect in the killing. About a month later, on August 22, 2019, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested 32-year-old Andre Smith, who had no fixed address. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Lyons's death. Prosecutors stated that Smith and Lyons had been standing near each other when Smith produced a firearm and shot Lyons in the back of the head. When he was apprehended, Smith was found in possession of the murder weapon.
After spending more than two and a half years in jail, Andre Smith's case reached a resolution. In a hearing on April 11, 2022, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon. As part of a plea agreement, it was recommended that he receive a prison sentence ranging from seven to thirteen years, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Court documents also revealed that on the day prior to his murder, Delwaun Lyons had been involved in a separate shootout.
