D.C. police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect in a homicide in the North Michigan Park neighborhood of Northeast D.C. earlier this week.
Shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday, officers were called to the 5000 block of South Dakota Avenue NE for the report of a shooting, according to a news release from the department.
At the scene, they found a man with gunshot wound injuries, later identified as 23-year-old Ryan Realbuto, of Pittsford, New York. He was taken to an area hospital where he died.
“Preliminarily, we believe the shooting stemmed from a robbery, but it is still early in the investigation,” a spokesperson from D.C. police told WTOP.
The Washington Post was first to report that Realbuto was in D.C. as part of a yearlong work-study program with the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps, a Catholic volunteer group. The group provides volunteers with a $125 monthly stipend and participants live together in communal housing, according to the Post.
During his six months in D.C., Realbuto “found community with his roommates and the friars and was really enjoying his placement” at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Maryland, the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps wrote in a Facebook post.
“(Realbuto’s) family was so proud of him and delighted that he was so happy,” the organization wrote. “They are grateful for the support, guidance, and growth that was embodied during his time in Cap Corps.”
Police are offering a reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest in this case. Tipsters can call the department at 202-727-9099 or submit an anonymous text to 50411.
Below is a map showing the area where the shooting took place.
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