In the early afternoon of May 16, 2016, a burst of violence shattered the day in the 4800 block of Texas Avenue, SE in Washington, D.C., leaving 22-year-old Tavon Devonte Cummings, a Black male, fatally wounded. The incident unfolded at approximately 12:55 p.m. in an alley, where gunshots rang out. Emergency responders arrived to find Cummings suffering from gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, recounting that they heard
gunshots and then saw people fleeing from the alley. One witness stated they saw Cummings on his knees, firing a gun towards Benning Road before he collapsed. Following the shooting, another individual allegedly picked up Cummings' gun and ran off. The motive for the shooting is believed by police to be rooted in a dispute involving long-standing animosity between families in the area.
The investigation into Cummings' death took a further complex turn when, merely three hours later and five blocks away, a 45-year-old woman named Tracey Louise Cooper was also shot and killed. D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier stated that detectives believed the two homicides were connected, with speculation that Cooper's assailant may have believed someone close to her was involved in Cummings' slaying. This led to an expanded police presence in the area as authorities worked to quell fears of retaliatory violence. In the course of the investigation, Tracey Cooper's son, Keith Cooper, who was an acquaintance of Cummings, was arrested on federal drug trafficking and firearm possession charges after police found a handgun, a rifle, ammunition, and cocaine in the home he shared with his mother.
Despite the ongoing investigation and a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction, no arrests have been made directly in connection with the murder of Tavon Devonte Cummings. The case remains open, and the Metropolitan Police Department continues to seek assistance from the public to bring those responsible to justice.
