On the morning of Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 18-year-old James Simms, an 11th-grade student at Roosevelt Senior High School, was found wounded in the driver’s seat of a black Oldsmobile after the car collided with another vehicle in the 500 block of Taylor Street NW in Washington, D.C. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Howard University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators recovered shell casings at the crash site and separately near Quincy and 13th streets NW, about half a mile away, prompting inquiries into whether Simms had been involved in a running gun battle. The Oldsmobile was not registered to him and bore license plates that did not belong to the vehicle. Family described James as cheerful, fun-loving, and planning to join the military.

A reward of up to $25,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, but no arrests or suspects have been reported. If anyone knew James or has information about his movements that morning, please come forward.