Jasmine Malone

The early morning stillness in the 1300 block of Congress Street in Southeast Washington, D.C., was broken on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. At approximately 6:29 a.m., a call came into the Metropolitan Police Department reporting an unconscious person. When officers from the Seventh District arrived on the residential street, they found a woman lying unresponsive. The woman, an African American, was identified as 30-year-old Jasmine Malone. She was suffering from gunshot wounds and was not breathing.

Emergency crews from D.C. Fire and EMS were dispatched to the scene, but their efforts to save her were in vain. Despite all lifesaving measures, Jasmine Malone was pronounced dead at the location where she was found. Authorities noted that she had no fixed address. The initial hours of the investigation were marked by an appeal to the public for information, as police had little to go on regarding potential suspects. The Metropolitan Police Department offered a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her death.

Detectives from the MPD's Homicide Branch took charge of the case, beginning the painstaking process of gathering evidence and speaking to potential witnesses. For more than two months, the investigation into Jasmine's killing continued. The neighborhood, a collection of brick apartment buildings and residential homes, held the secrets of her final moments. The investigators worked to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting on that spring morning.

Then, on Friday, July 31, 2026, there was a significant breakthrough in the case. Members of the Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, acting on a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant, located and apprehended a suspect. The individual taken into custody was identified as 23-year-old Malachi Rawlings, a resident of Southeast, D.C.

Following his arrest, Rawlings was charged with Second Degree Murder While Armed in connection with the death of Jasmine Malone. The arrest marked a turning point in the investigation, bringing a measure of progress for a case that began on a quiet street corner.

While an arrest has been made, the legal process is ongoing. The charge against Malachi Rawlings remains an allegation, and the case is pending in the court system. The authorities have not released further details about a potential motive or the circumstances that led to the shooting. The case, which began with a somber discovery on a May morning, now moves through the justice system, with the final chapter yet to be written.