Shawntel White was only 22 years old when shots fired from a passing car ended her life.
White was sitting among friends on the 400 block of Manor Place NW in the early hours of Sept. 11, 2002, when a car passed by several times before individuals opened fire on the group, injuring a few others but killing only White.
A year later, police believed they had found the murder weapon and the car involved but were unable to link them to owners, D.C. police Sgt. J.C. Young said.
Young said he still thinks some of the men among the group with White that night knew who was responsible but were probably afraid of the consequences of coming forward because of the “code on the street.”
“They don’t want to tell on somebody else,” he said. “They may feel if they didn’t tell on the person that he would leave them alone.”
Young said White was an “innocent bystander” who was “caught up in something that was somebody else’s situation.”
He said police think those responsible for the shooting were trying to send a message to people she was with, and the only thing police “can hope for at this point” is a prisoner to offer information on the shooting in exchange for a lesser sentence.
“Somebody needs to come forward and bring this thing to closure because the family’s still grieving about this and it’s been eight yeas,” Young said.
Police are offering up to $25,000 for information that leads to the resolution of the case. Anyone with information can call D.C. police at 202-727-9099.
