On the morning of August 6, 2015, gunfire on the 1100 block of Lane Street in Gary, Indiana left two teenage friends dead. Responding officers found 17-year-old Raymond Washington-Whitehead of Merrillville lying in a front yard and 18-year-old James Powell of Gary deceased inside the home. Investigators determined both had been fatally shot in what the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit described as a double homicide.

Within days the investigation focused on a primary suspect. Authorities identified 22-year-old Shelton Curtis and issued a warrant charging him with two counts of murder, describing him as armed and dangerous; he later surrendered. A second man, 22-year-old Kevin Blackmon, was taken into custody on a charge of assisting a criminal. The killings were the sixth and seventh murders in Gary in seven days and devastated the victims’ families.

If anyone knew Raymond or has information about what happened that morning, please share what you know with investigators.