Luis E. Avila Melendez | Homicide Watch DC

Manuel Garcia Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter

Imari Williams — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 17:11:47 -0400

Manuel Garcia waived his right to a trial Wednesday and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the fatal shooting of Luis E. Avila Melendez on June 21.

Melendez, 27, was found shot after 2 a.m. near the intersection of Fuller street and Mozart place. A witness called 911 after hearing five to six gunshots and seeing a Hispanic man and woman running, charging documents say.

According to the proffer of facts, Garcia and a woman were walking in the 2500 block of 17th street, when they passed Melendez and another man. Though Garcia had never met Melendez or the other man, Garcia and Melendez got into a verbal altercation, documents say.

During the altercation, Garcia flashed a gun tucked his waistband, documents state.

After that, Garcia and the two men separated, but they met up again on the 2500 block of Mozart Place Northwest, according to the proffer. Melendez and the other man rushed towards him, documents say, and Garcia moved toward them.

Then Garcia began firing his gun at Melendez and the other man, according to the proffer, and the men ran in the opposite direction. Melendez was struck in the back, and fell to the ground where he was found, documents say.

According to charging documents, the woman with Garcia said Melendez and the other man “kept threatening her and [Garcia]” during their initial meeting and that one man “kept touching his waist like he had a gun or something.” documents say.

She also told police that the two men tried to speak to them in Spanish, according to the documents, but she didn’t understand what was said.

Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Rhonda Winston.

A copy of the plea documents are below:

Manuel Garcia Held in Connection with Shooting Death of Luis Melendez

Imari Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:49:40 -0400

Manuel Garcia, 20, was ordered held Thursday on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed in connection to the shooting death of Luis E. Avila Melendez. Garcia was arrested Wednesday.

On June 21, 27-year-old Melendez was found shot after 2 a.m. near the intersection of Fuller street and Mozart place. Charging documents say a witness called 911 after hearing five to six gunshot and seeing a Hispanic man and woman running.

According to the documents, video shows Garcia and a woman walk past Melendez and another man in the 2500 block of 17th street that night. Then, Garcia is seen returning to Melendez and the other man, and the three appear to communicate.

On the video footage, the woman returns minutes later and Garcia begins walking away. As Garcia walks out of view of the video, he appears to point a black gun in the direction of the other two men, charging documents state.

Less than 10 minutes later, different footage shows Garcia and the other man a few blocks away running toward Fuller Street Northwest, then running in the opposite direction. At 2:23 a.m., Melendez is seen falling to the ground where he was found, documents say.

In an interview with police, the woman with Garcia in the video initially said that she had not seen Garcia in a month or two, documents say. Later the woman told police she was very intoxicated the night of the shooting and therefore "could not be sure if what she said happened that night was accurate."

The woman said she and Garcia walked past Melendez and the other man while they appeared to be arguing, documents say. She told police that the two men tried to speak to them in Spanish, according to the documents, but she didn't understand "because she was not fluent enough."

The woman said that Garcia walked up to "one or both" of the two men to see what was wrong, but that Garcia could not understand what they were saying either. She then said that when Garcia went up to the men, one had a belt wrapped around his hand.

According to the woman, Melendez and the other man "kept threatening her and [Garcia]" and that one man "kept touching his waist like he had a gun or something."

After this confrontation, the woman said she and Garcia went through the park and saw the two men again. She said they were "moving quickly" toward them and one of the men said he would put a gun to "her head or our heads," documents say.

The woman told police that she hid behind Garcia and heard shots, but was not sure who fired the shots. Documents say she estimated that she heard four shots.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 10 before Judge Rhonda Reid Winston.

A copy of the charging documents is below.

Manuel Antonio Garcia Arrested in Shooting Death of Luis E. Avila Melendez

Laura Amico — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 21:51:24 -0400

A 20 year old Northeast DC man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Luis E. Avila Melendez in Northwest DC on June 21.

Melendez was found shot near the intersection of Fuller Street and Mozart Place at about 2:30 a.m.

On Wednesday, Manuel Antonio Garcia was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed.

A press release from MPD is after the jump.

July 2, 2104

Arrest Made in Homicide: Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest

(Washington, DC)- Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the homicide which occurred at Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest.

On Saturday, June 21, 2014, at approximately 2:23 am, police officers from the Third District responded to a call for a shooting near the intersection of Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest. Upon arrival, they located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Columbia Road, NW. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The decedent was subsequently transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

The decedent has been identified as 27-year-old Luis E. Avila Melendez of Northwest, DC.

On Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at approximately 4:40 pm, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and Homicide detectives arrested 20-year old Manuel Antonio Garcia of Northeast, DC, and charged him with Murder Two while Armed in the shooting death of Luis E. Avila Melendez.

Shooting Near Columbia Road NW Kills Luis Avila Melendez

Chris Amico — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 22:18:08 -0400

An overnight shooting near the intersection of Fuller Street and Mozart Place Northwest left a 27-year-old man dead, MPD reported Saturday.

Luis E. Avila Melendez, of Northwest D.C., was found with an apparent gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Columbia Road Northwest. He died at a local hospital.

MPD's full press release is below:

Homicide: Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest

(Washington, DC) – Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating a homicide which occurred near the intersection of Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest.

On Saturday, June 21, 2014, at approximately 2:23 am, police officers from the Third District responded to a call for a shooting near the intersection of Fuller Street and Mozart Place, Northwest. Upon arrival, they located an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Columbia Road, NW. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The decedent was subsequently transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where an autopsy will be performed to determine cause and manner of death.

The decedent has been identified as 27-year-old Luis E. Avila Melendez of Northwest, DC.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.