Antonio Cunningham was a 17-year-old junior at Dunbar High School who was killed on September 11, 2023, while walking to his after-school job at a Jersey Mike’s in the Brentwood neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C. Family described him as a playful, hard-working youth devoted to his five siblings. The attack began about 4:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of Washington Place when several masked people jumped from a black SUV and attempted to rob him and another teenager. A 56-year-old man who intervened after seeing the assault was shot in the abdomen; one of the assailants then shot Antonio in the head.

Both victims were taken to a hospital; Antonio was pronounced dead and the bystander was left in critical condition but survived. Investigators tied the killing to a day-long crime spree of armed robberies and arrested two teenage suspects on November 2, 2023: a 16-year-old, Marlan Smith Jr., and a 17-year-old, Anthony Monroe. Both were charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and multiple counts of robbery and were ordered held without bond.

If anyone in Brentwood on September 11 remembers seeing a black SUV or other suspicious activity that afternoon, please share what was seen with investigators.