A neighborhood dispute in Southeast Washington turned fatal on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Thirty-two-year-old Tequila Parker was shot on the 2300 block of Pitts Place around 12:41 p.m. Witnesses said a man and a woman chased Parker before the man produced a firearm and shot her. First responders found Parker unconscious with gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators quickly focused on a suspect identified as 20-year-old Mercury Ford III of Southeast, D.C. An arrest warrant was issued and authorities charged Ford with First Degree Murder While Armed. The Metropolitan Police Department offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

There are questions about what sparked the long-standing dispute and who else may have been involved that day. Anyone with information about Tequila Parker, the events on Pitts Place, or witness observations is asked to come forward.