More than 260 people were slain in the Washington area last year. Here are a few of the killings that grabbed headlines in the region: » On March 30, a drive-by attack in Southeast D.C. left three people dead. Five men were indicted this month on charges stemming from a series of retaliatory shootings that culminated with the drive-by assault on a crowd gathered at South Capitol Street and Alabama Avenue to commemorate the death of 20-year-old Jordan Howe. Howe had been shot to death after falsely being accused of stealing a bracelet, police say.

Prosecutors say the gunmen killed 17-year-old Tavon Nelson while trying to steal his gun, then fired into the crowd of mourners outside a home, killing 18-year-old DaVaughn Boyd, 19-year-old William Jones and Brishell Jones, 16.