On September 28, 2015, in the Barry Farm neighborhood of Washington, D.C., 21-year-old Ernest Massenberg-Bey Jr. was shot during an escalation of a dispute that reportedly began over a dice game on the 1100 block of Eaton Road SE. Ernest had intervened in the initial argument. A man named John Anthony James left the scene and later returned armed, opening fire and wounding Ernest and another man.

Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital. Ernest Massenberg-Bey Jr. died of his gunshot wounds; the other victim survived and later helped identify the shooter. The Metropolitan Police Department identified 23-year-old John Anthony James as a suspect and sought him on a charge of second-degree murder while armed.

Anyone who knew Ernest, witnessed the shooting, or has information about the events that night is asked to come forward.