On the evening of February 13, 2020, Terence Dantzler, 29, was shot and killed on the 700 block of 8th Street NW in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, near the National Portrait Gallery. Witnesses reported an argument just before gunfire; the shooter fired additional rounds while Dantzler lay prone, described by witnesses as execution-style. Someone nearby reportedly shouted no just before the shots.

Metropolitan Police officers on patrol heard the shooting and chased a fleeing suspect through traffic. An exchange of gunfire occurred on the 700 block of 10th Street NW; the suspect was struck in the hand and later apprehended near 11th and H Streets NW, where a handgun was recovered. The arrested man was identified as 20-year-old Jaykell Mason of Southeast, D.C.; he was charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, and carrying a pistol without a license. Dantzler was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Mason was later evaluated at St. Elizabeths Hospital for competency and has rejected at least two plea offers; his trial is scheduled for September 2025. The officers involved were placed on administrative leave. If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about Dantzler’s last movements, please come forward.