Tarriq Curtis Childs was 28 when he was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 28, 2019. He grew up in Northeast Washington, DC, and was living in Silver Spring, Maryland. After a difficult youth that included time in prison, he was released on November 6, 2018, and had been rebuilding his life — working in construction and later as a water restoration technician, reconnecting with family, volunteering with youth, and helping support his young daughter.

Around 3:20 a.m. on December 28, residents near the unit block of Riggs Road NE in Fort Totten heard gunfire. Officers found an adult man inside a vehicle suffering at least one gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Authorities identified the victim as Tarriq Childs and ruled the death a homicide. Family members were initially told he had been shot in the leg and left in a car to die, and his mother and longtime mentor Joanne described the shock and heartbreak that followed.

Anyone who knew Tarriq, was in the Fort Totten area that night, or has information about the shooting is asked to come forward.