Raphael Tahj Pierce, 23, was fatally shot during a family gathering in an apartment in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County on the evening of August 7, 2021. Authorities say an argument between Pierce and his 40-year-old stepfather, Terence Butler, escalated into deadly violence; Butler allegedly shot Pierce and fled the scene.

Warrants were obtained charging Butler with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A monthlong manhunt followed; on September 17, 2021, detectives from the Fugitive Track and Apprehension Unit, assisted by federal partners, arrested Butler in Washington, D.C., without incident and he was held at the Central Detention Facility awaiting extradition to Fairfax County. The motive for the fatal argument remains unclear.

If anyone attended that gathering or has information about what led to the shooting, please share what you know.