On December 27, 2017, a dispute inside a Northeast Washington, D.C. residence turned fatal, claiming the life of 21-year-old Elijah Henry. The young man was inside a home in the 1800 block of Bryant Street NE when an argument erupted, reportedly over a missing coat or $200. In the midst of the confrontation, a gunman shot Henry in the head.
The man identified as the shooter was 18-year-old James Mayfield.
At the time of the shooting, Mayfield was already a suspect in the killing of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor, who was struck by a stray bullet in August of the same year. Witnesses to Henry's death recognized Mayfield from a flyer that police had distributed in connection with Sydnor's case. Just hours after shooting Henry, Mayfield was arrested following an attempted armed robbery.
Mayfield was subsequently charged with three counts of murder for the deaths of Elijah Henry, Jermaine Phillip Bowens, and Jamahri Sydnor. Following his arrest, the weapon he was carrying was tested and linked to the murders of both Henry and Bowens. In December 2024, James Mayfield pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the death of Elijah Henry. A judge later sentenced him to 18 years for the manslaughter charge, to run concurrently with a 25-year sentence for the murder of Jermaine Bowens. This was in addition to a 50-year sentence he received for the murder of Jamahri Sydnor.
