In the early morning hours of October 10, 2014, the life of 29-year-old Ricky Kelly was tragically cut short in a Southwest Washington, D.C. residence. Police were called to the 100 block of Ivanhoe Street SW at approximately 7:40 a.m. for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Mr. Kelly inside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
The investigation into the death of the Southeast D.C.
man moved swiftly, and later that same day, authorities announced the arrests of two suspects. Gregory Smithwick, 22, of Northwest D.C., and Dominique Holmes, 23, of Southeast D.C., were taken into custody. Both men were charged with first-degree murder while armed. In addition to the murder charge, Smithwick and Holmes were also implicated in an assault with a dangerous weapon and a carjacking that occurred on the same morning.
Charging documents later revealed a possible motive behind the violent act. The two men arrested in connection with Kelly's murder allegedly believed that he was responsible for the death of their friend, Kevin Lucas, who had been killed the previous year. Eventually, two individuals pleaded guilty to the shooting, bringing a degree of legal closure to the case. Those who knew Ricky Kelly remembered him as a kind and humble man with a smile that could light up a room.
