A dispute outside a shoe store on the 3000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast in Washington, D.C. turned fatal on the morning of Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Derrick Howard, 39, of Baltimore, Maryland, was shot at about 11:00 a.m. Officers found him unconscious and not breathing with a life‑threatening gunshot wound; he was later pronounced dead after emergency efforts.

Detectives identified a suspect in the case. Court filings say surveillance footage showed a man raising an arm as shots were fired and Howard falling; the man could not be directly identified from the video. Three independent witnesses later identified Andre Townsend, 31, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, from a photo array and Instagram pictures, and cell phone data placed Townsend in the area at the time. A judge found probable cause to move forward on a charge of Second Degree Murder While Armed.

If anyone was at the shoe store that morning or has additional footage or information about the altercation, please share what is known with investigators.