Kenneth Barksdale Jr.

The life of Kenneth Barksdale Jr., a 28-year-old Black man and father, was cut short in a violent ambush just steps from his family’s home in Southeast Washington, D.C.

On the evening of Saturday, December 16, 2023, Barksdale had just brought his one-year-old son inside when he realized he had forgotten his phone in his parked car. When he went back out to get it, he encountered three men who were roaming the 1200 block of 44th Place, Southeast, pulling on car door handles. The men were attempting to break into Barksdale’s vehicle when he confronted them. In response, they shot him. According to prosecutors, the men continued to fire even as Barksdale tried to retreat up the stairs to his mother’s home. Police responded to reports of gunfire around 8:07 p.m. and found Barksdale with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

An investigation lasting several months led to arrests in the summer of 2024. On July 31, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended 18-year-old D'Andre Montgomery of Southeast, D.C. The following day, August 1, they arrested a second suspect, 19-year-old Eric Sheffield of Northeast, D.C. A third co-defendant, Kevin Hider, was also charged in connection with the homicide. Montgomery and Sheffield were initially charged with first-degree murder while armed.

In May 2026, a D.C. Superior Court jury found D'Andre Montgomery, then 20, guilty of second-degree murder while armed, conspiracy, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during a crime of violence. A judge scheduled his sentencing for August 21, 2026. As of Montgomery’s conviction, co-defendants Eric Sheffield and Kevin Hider still faced related charges in the case.