Christopher Callahan

On the afternoon of May 15, 2023, a verbal dispute outside a 7-Eleven in Washington, D.C., escalated into a fatal act of violence that claimed the life of Christopher Callahan. A 64-year-old Black male resident of Southeast D.C., Mr. Callahan was reportedly sitting on his walker when the altercation occurred.

The situation took a deadly turn at approximately 4:15 p.m. in the 3900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southwest. Surveillance footage from the scene captured the moments leading up to the shooting. Following a verbal exchange, an individual struck Mr. Callahan over the head with a duffle bag. The assailant then pointed the duffle bag, which concealed a rifle, at Mr. Callahan's head and fired, striking him. After initially walking away, the shooter returned to where Mr. Callahan lay on the ground and once again pointed the bag at his head before ultimately fleeing the scene.

When officers from the Metropolitan Police Department's Seventh District arrived, they found Christopher Callahan suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite the response from DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services, he showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation into Mr. Callahan's death moved swiftly, and on the following day, May 16, 2023, an arrest was made. Authorities took 31-year-old Terry Thompson, who had no fixed address, into custody. Thompson was subsequently charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict.

Following his arrest, Thompson underwent a mental health observation at St. Elizabeths Hospital. In April 2024, after rejecting two plea deals from prosecutors that would have required him to plead guilty to second-degree murder, he was transferred to the DC Jail. Terry Thompson was later convicted for the murder of Christopher Callahan. Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced him to 24 years in prison.