In the early morning hours of June 13, 2018, the life of 43-year-old Larry Darnell Harrell was tragically cut short in the Trinidad neighborhood of Northeast Washington. A resident of the area, Harrell was near the parking lot of the Circle 7 Express convenience store on Mount Olivet Road NE when he was shot and killed shortly before 1 a.m. Police found him bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Harrell's death quickly
led to the identification of suspects. Authorities determined that the motive for the attack was robbery, with the assailants seeking to steal money and synthetic marijuana. Harrell was confronted at gunpoint and searched by his attackers. Although they initially found nothing and let him go, they turned their attention to another man in the parking lot whom they robbed. Moments later, believing Harrell was hiding behind a trash bin and possibly armed, two of the individuals opened fire.
Within a short time, the Metropolitan Police Department made its first arrest in the case, taking 16-year-old Titus Iracks into custody. He was charged as an adult with first-degree murder while armed. The investigation continued, leading to a second arrest in early August of that year. Dearren Dawkins, 21, was also apprehended and charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Harrell's death. The arrests brought a measure of progress in a case that added to a significant increase in homicides in the District that year. Larry Harrell, a son, brother, and father, was remembered by his family and friends, his sudden death leaving a void in the community he called home.
