In the summer of 2015, a family dispute simmering within a Southwest Washington apartment complex tragically boiled over, leaving 47-year-old Jerome Diggs mortally wounded. The male victim, also known as 'Beanie,' found himself at fatal odds with his own cousin, Gary Proctor, over Proctor's desire to sell drugs from Diggs's home in the Greenleaf housing complex.
This disagreement had reportedly festered for days, even leading to a physical altercation at a community cookout prior to the deadly confrontation.
On the afternoon of July 27, 2015, the conflict reached its violent climax. Proctor entered his cousin's apartment in the 1300 block of First Street SW and opened fire, striking Diggs multiple times before fleeing the scene. Despite the severity of his injuries, Diggs clung to life long enough to ensure his attacker would be known. A friend who discovered the gravely wounded Diggs heard him identify his assailant, stating, 'Yes, Little Gary shot me.' In his final moments, Diggs also managed to call his sister, telling her that their cousin, 'Little Gary' Proctor, was the one who had shot him and that he didn't believe he would survive. Neighbors also heard Diggs identify 'Lil Gary' as the shooter after he crawled out the back door of his home. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The day after the shooting, D.C. police arrested 37-year-old Gary Nathaniel Proctor and charged him with second-degree murder while armed. In August 2019, a jury found Proctor, then 41, guilty of first-degree murder while armed and two firearms charges. Subsequently, Proctor was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his cousin.
