On the evening of July 4, 2026, 29-year-old Joshua Primus of Southwest Washington, D.C., was fatally shot. At about 9:38 p.m. a First District officer was flagged down in the 100 block of M Street, Southwest, and found Primus lying in the median with gunshot wounds. DC Fire and EMS transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives determined the shooting occurred elsewhere and identified the 1300 block of Canal Street, Southwest, as the location of the actual shooting. The Metropolitan Police Department has classified the death as a homicide and opened a full investigation. No arrests or public suspect identifications have been announced. The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

If anyone was in the area of Canal Street or M Street Southwest on July 4 around 9:30–10:00 p.m. or has dashcam or surveillance footage, please share what was seen or heard that night.