Darren Lamont Carter was 21 when he was found dead in a Northeast Washington, D.C. alley on June 19, 2005. Officers responding about 3:04 a.m. to a fire behind the 1200 block of Linden Place NE discovered his body; an autopsy later showed he had been fatally shot and then set on fire. Investigators described the shooting as overkill. Five days earlier he had been shot in the right leg a few blocks away, and police have explored whether the two incidents are connected but have not publicly confirmed a link.

Carter had recently been released from a juvenile detention facility in May 2005 and was working on the cleaning staff at the D.C. Convention Center. An anonymous caller contacted detectives in the weeks after the murder and is believed to have important information; police have appealed for that person to come forward again. No arrests or named suspects have been announced. If anyone knew Darren, saw activity near Linden Place NE that night, or has information about the anonymous tip, please share what is known with investigators.