On a summer evening in Washington, D.C., Matthew Shlonsky, a 23-year-old male and recent graduate of American University, was tragically killed. On August 15, 2015, just before 5 p.m., Shlonsky had just gotten out of an Uber with friends near the Shaw-Howard University Metro station. They were on their way to a going-away party for a friend at a nearby restaurant.
Unbeknownst to them, a violent confrontation was unfolding nearby between rival gang members.
Shlonsky was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a shootout in the 1800 block of Seventh Street NW. A bullet struck him in the chest, and he was found unconscious and unresponsive by police officers who were flagged down by a witness. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Shlonsky was not the intended target of the gunfire that cut his promising life short. Originally from a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, he had embraced Washington, D.C. as his home after graduating from the School of International Service in 2014 and beginning a career at Deloitte Consulting.
The investigation into Shlonsky's death led to the identification and arrest of three suspects. The first to be apprehended was 19-year-old Marcus King, who turned himself in on August 21, 2015, and was charged with second-degree murder while armed. Subsequently, Andre Dudley and Christopher Proctor were also arrested in connection with the shooting. In February 2016, 26-year-old Christopher Proctor became the third suspect to be arrested.
In June 2018, all three men from Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to charges related to Shlonsky's death. Andre Dudley, 22, Marcus King, 22, and Christopher Proctor, 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Dudley also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon from a separate incident. In August 2018, the men were sentenced for their roles in the fatal shooting. Andre Dudley was sentenced to 18.5 years in prison, Marcus King received a sentence of 17.5 years, and Christopher Proctor was sentenced to 14 years.
