On the evening of Sunday, June 18, 2023, 32-year-old James Joel Austin was found with gunshot wounds in the 9800 block of Bethesda Church Road in Damascus, Maryland. Montgomery County police were dispatched about 9:57 p.m. after multiple reports of a shooting. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but Austin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators quickly identified a primary suspect as 16-year-old Isaiah Jamael Brown-Hawkins, who was reported to be the son of Austin’s girlfriend. Brown-Hawkins allegedly fled the scene in Austin’s Honda; the vehicle was later located in Washington, D.C. A warrant charging him with first-degree murder, armed carjacking, and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony was issued June 19, 2023. On August 1, 2023, police arrested 19-year-old Khamani Imes of Damascus and charged him with providing the firearm used in the shooting, along with underage possession, first-degree murder, and conspiracy. Brown-Hawkins was taken into custody on August 31, 2023, after a pursuit in Oxon Hill during which a handgun was recovered.

Anyone with information about James Austin, the events on June 18, or the investigation is asked to come forward.