In the early evening of June 6, 2018, the life of 23-year-old D'Ante Washington, a Black/African American male from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was tragically cut short. Known to many by his rap name Tae Spitta, Washington was at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Washington Street when he was shot during an armed robbery. Another man, 23-year-old Daquan Lewis, was also shot during the incident but survived his injuries. D'Ante Washington, a father to a one-year-old son named Da'Montae, was rushed to a local hospital and then flown to another for advanced care, but he ultimately succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head. In the wake of his death, his family made the decision for him to be an organ donor, allowing his legacy to live on by helping others.
The Bay St. Louis Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the shooting. Their efforts led them to identify two suspects: 18-year-old Armon Joseph Crawford of Gulfport and 19-year-old Xavier Lamar Simmons of D'Iberville. Warrants were issued for their arrests on charges of murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Crawford initially was taken in for questioning shortly after the shooting but was not immediately arrested. However, on July 22, 2018, Crawford turned himself in to the Gulfport police. Simmons, who was identified as the shooter, was also taken into custody.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of closure to D'Ante Washington's grieving family. A Hancock County grand jury indicted both Crawford and Simmons on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and armed robbery. In December 2020, Xavier Lamar Simmons pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter and armed robbery. A judge sentenced him to serve 20 years of a 40-year sentence. In October 2021, Armon Joseph Crawford also reached a plea agreement, pleading guilty to armed robbery and accessory after the fact to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Throughout the court proceedings, D'Ante's mother, Twanna Washington, was a vocal advocate for her son. During the sentencing for Simmons, she delivered a powerful victim impact statement, expressing the profound loss her family has endured. She spoke of how her son was robbed of the opportunity to raise his son and live out his life. 'You took a part of me that I will never get back,' she told him, adding that she now has to visit a cold grave to tell her son she loves him. The community, shocked by the violence, rallied around the family, creating a social media campaign with the hashtag #JusticeforD'Ante to bring attention to the case and advocate against gun violence.
