A taxi driver who was shot and killed in Adams Morgan Tuesday morning has been identified as 57-year-old Solomon James Okoroh of Lanham, Md.
The driver’s name was released Tuesday afternoon by Metropolitan police, who also released the name of the man charged in connection with the shooting.
That man, 32-year-old Ercell Overton of Northwest DC, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Okoroh’s death.
According to a statement from police, around 3 a.m. Tuesday, police officers were patrolling the 2400 block of Ontario Road Northwest when they saw a taxi drive by and heard a gunshot. The car crashed and two male suspects jumped out and fled on foot.
The officers chased the two men and one of the suspects pulled a handgun and fired shots at them. The men were eventually arrested and no officers were injured in the shootout.
Okoroh died at the hospital.
The second suspect was arrested on an unrelated charge.
A press release from MPD is below.
Police Involved Shooting: Suspects Arrested in the 2400 Block of Ontario Road, NW
(Washington, DC)-The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a police involved shooting which occurred in the 2400 block of Ontario Road, NW.
Preliminary investigation reveals that on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at approximately 3:15 am, police officers in the Third District’s Robbery Tactical Unit, were patrolling in the 2400 block of Ontario Road, NW, when they observed a taxicab drive by and heard a gunshot. The taxicab crashed and two suspects jumped out of the taxicab and fled on foot. The police officers pursued the suspects and one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and fired at the officers who returned fire. The suspect then forced his way into a home where he was apprehended. The second suspect was apprehended nearby without further incident. A weapon was recovered. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the taxicab driver, the victim of the shooting, to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The decedent is identified as 57-year-old Solomon James Okoroh of Lanham, Maryland.
The first suspect has been identified as 32 year-old Ercell Overton of Northwest, Washington DC. He has been charged with Murder I, Felony Assault on a Police Officer, Burglary One.
The second subject has been identified as 24 year-old Joshua King of Hyattsville, Maryland. He has been charged with an unrelated Probation Violation Warrant.
No police officers were injured in this incident. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and Homicide Unit are conducting the investigation.
