D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee identified the suspect the police are seeking in an alleged road-rage shooting last month that was caught on video.
During a news conference Wednesday, Contee listed off details about suspects wanted in connection to five homicides and two gun assaults, including the May 19 shooting of a woman in the 1600 block of Eastern Avenue in Northeast, close to Kenilworth Avenue and the D.C.-Maryland border.
Surveillance video of that incident shows a man getting out of a Maserati and shooting into another car.
“I’m disturbed every time I see that video, and I hope the community is as outraged as I am,” Contee said. “He fired shots at the mother and her two children in what appears to be a road-rage incident.”
The mother was shot but survived; one of her children had minor cuts.
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Police identified the suspect — Kenneth Miles Davis Jr., 42, of Lanham, Maryland — and released a picture.
“This individual felt it was necessary to use gun violence to deal with his anger. I am here to tell him that is unacceptable,” Contee said.
Contee confirmed that Davis – who has a criminal history – owned the Maserati, which is now in police custody.
“I think it’s very important that we talk about these cases, that we put this information out to the public, to let the public know that the Metropolitan Police Department is serious about the business of bringing people to justice when they commit violent acts in our community,” Contee said.
He added that police have been able to issue warrants for these suspects because of “help that’s coming from the community, so I’m asking for the community to continue to flood us with those tips and information about where these suspects are.”
A spike in homicides
Contee said that D.C. – like many other major U.S. cities – has experienced a sharp uptick in homicides.
“We’re seeing a 23% increase in where we were the same time last year, which is consistent with what we’re seeing all across the country,” he said.
Contee cited the case of a grandmother killed outside her home in Southeast D.C. on May 19 as one “that is very disturbing to me.”
“That’s another one where I’m directly pleading – I’m pleading – on behalf of this family to the citizens of the District of Columbia who were near that area, the 1800 block of Q Street, where a 65-year-old grandmother unnecessarily lost her life because somebody decided that it was a good idea to come with a gun and shoot up a block.”
Contee said he’s concerned about the potential for more crime heading into the summer. But he vowed that murders would not go unanswered.
“If you commit a homicide in the District of Columbia, we’re coming for you. That’s the bottom line,” he said. “When we have the community, the police working together, there’s nothing we can’t tackle, and this is an example of that. We have several individuals that are out and wanted, and we’re asking for the community’s help to find these individuals.”
- Dreaun Young, 18, wanted for second-degree murder while armed in connection to a homicide on Aug. 6, 2020, in the 600 block of 46th Place Southeast.
- Anthony Antonio Whitted, 26, wanted for second-degree murder while armed in a homicide on March 13, 2021, in the 600 block of O Street Northwest.
- Nyjell Outler, 18, wanted for second-degree murder while armed in a homicide March 20, 2021, in the unit block of Madison Street northeast.
- David Maurice Rhodes, 53, wanted for first-degree murder while armed in a homicide May 10, 2021, in the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast.
- Byron Brooks, 35, wanted for second-degree murder while armed in a homicide May 11, 2021, in the 1500 block of Maryland Avenue Northeast.
As for Davis, who has a $10,000 reward out for his arrest for the May 19 shooting, Contee sounded a confident note:
“We’ll see him soon. That much I can assure you of.”
The Metropolitan Police Department seeks assistance in locating the below individuals that are WANTED in connection to violent crimes that have occurred in Washington, DC.
If you have information about any of these suspects, please call (202) 727-9099/text 50411
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) June 2, 2021
