The driver who was shot in the 3rd Street Tunnel in D.C. over a year ago has died from complications of his wounds, and his death has been ruled a homicide, police said.
The shooting happened on July 30, 2019. Leon Williams, 52, of Northeast, crashed into the back of a car in which Daquan Brooks, 21, was the passenger, inside the tunnel.
Police said the suspect brandished a gun and fired at the victim after the crash.
D.C. resident Mark Purvis was in the tunnel and said he witnessed the shooting. He told WTOP that he saw a young woman get out of the suspect’s vehicle and move toward the striking vehicle, whose occupants were still inside. A few moments later, the passenger of the suspect vehicle got out.
Purvis said he then heard a pop, which sounded like a firecracker to him. He then saw the young man put a gun back in his pants.
The suspect and the driver of the vehicle that was struck then got back in the car and drove away from the scene.
Brooks, of no fixed address, was arrested a few days later on Aug. 5, 2019, on a charge of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Williams was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and he died Oct. 22, 2020. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was complications from gunshot wounds and ruled his death as a homicide.
Cmdr. Morgan Kane said at the time that what happened was “unnecessary” and “tragic” — that a simple vehicle accident could escalate into a shooting. .
“It’s very sad,” Kane said.
Upgraded charges are pending against the suspect, police said in a news release.
