More than three months after a D.C. teen was gunned down in a vacant Southwest apartment, police have publicly identified a suspect in the shooting — and are asking for help in finding him.
Police said Monday they’re looking for 17-year-old Jwhan Simpson in the shooting death of Domonique Franklin. WTOP does not typically name juveniles suspected of crimes, but D.C. police said Simpson will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder while armed.
A maintenance crew found Franklin’s body Aug. 30 inside the unoccupied public housing apartment on M Street Southwest. Franklin had been shot several times, police said.
The teen’s killing elicited frustration from police officials, in part because a nearby security camera maintained by the D.C. Housing Authority wasn’t working at the time of the shooting.
Just last week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and police Chief Peter Newsham announced plans to install 140 additional security cameras across the District, including in public housing buildings.
“We have concerns about gaps in coverage in public housing,” Bowser told WTOP after her announcement.
D.C. police described Simpson as a black male with a medium build, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds.
Anyone with information about Simpson’s whereabouts or other information about the case is asked to call D.C. police at 202-727-9099. The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone providing information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
