On the evening of Saturday, August 7, 2021, 69-year-old James Clayton Beckham of Suitland, Maryland, was found unresponsive inside a vehicle in the 200 block of 49th Street Southeast in Washington, D.C. Officers arrived after a 6:17 p.m. call and discovered Mr. Beckham with an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch took over the investigation and the department publicly identified Beckham as the victim while asking the community for information. A reward of up to $25,000 was offered for tips leading to an arrest and conviction.

If anyone who knew James Beckham or who was in that neighborhood that evening has information, please share it with investigators.