Omar Sykes | Homicide Watch DC

Rasdavid Lagarde Indicted in Death of Omar Sykes

Megan Arellano — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 12:32:17 -0400

Rasdavid Lagarde formally pleaded innocent to eight criminal charges Friday, including first-degree murder while armed, after being indicted for the shooting death of Omar Sykes. A trial is scheduled for November 10.

Sykes was shot and killed around 11:30 p.m. on July 4, 2013. He was a 22-year-old student at Howard University.

According to arrest documents in the case, Sykes died in an attempted robbery. A witness told police that Sykes was beginning to move to the ground when the witness saw a man made a gesture as if he were going to "pistol whip" Sykes. Then the witness heard a single gunshot and saw that Sykes was shot.

Lagarde may have believed the safety on his weapon was on when the shooting occurred, documents say.

The case is scheduled for a status hearing August 5.

A copy of the indictment is below.

Rasdavid Lagarde Waives His Right to a Preliminary Hearing

Megan Arellano — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:58:24 -0400

Nearly five months after his arrest, Rasdavid Lagarde decided to give up his right to a preliminary hearing in court on Friday.

At such a hearing, prosecutors would have argued there was probable cause that Lagarde was the person who fatally shot Howard University student Omar Sykes in order for Lagarde to remain held.

Police believe Sykes's death was the result of an attempted robbery.

Sykes was found shot in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m on July 4, 2013. Lagarde, 26, is suspected of first-degree murder in the case.

According to charging documents, a witness who was with Sykes before the shooting said two men were following them in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest.

When the witness turned around, one man produced a black handgun and stated, “Don’t run… get on the ground.” The second man, holding a silver handgun, grabbed Sykes by the arm.

According to the witness, Sykes was beginning to move to the ground when the second man made a gesture as if he were going to “pistol whip” Sykes. Then the witness heard a single gunshot and saw that Sykes was shot.

Another witness told police that Lagarde told the witness on July 5, 2013, that he had “f**ked up” in the course of a robbery and shot someone. Documents state that the witness thought Lagarde “appeared as if he was not himself.”

Judge Lynn Leibovitz accepted Lagarde's decision and ruled that Lagarde will remain held without bond.

Lagarde is scheduled for a felony status conference on May 9 at 10 a.m. before Judge Lynn Leibovitz. Prosecutors say that they expect to deliver an indictment before July.

Rasdavid Lagarde Held in Shooting Death of Omar Sykes

Megan Arellano — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 18:00:44 -0400

The man accused of fatally shooting Howard University student Omar Sykes may have believed the safety on his weapon was on, according to charging documents in the case.

Appearing in court Wednesday, 26-year-old Rasdavid Lagarde was ordered held in the case on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Sykes was found shot July 4 in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m; he later died at a local hospital.

Police believe his death was the result of an attempted robbery.

According to charging documents, a witness who was with Sykes before the shooting said that he noticed two men following them in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest. When the witness turned around, one man produced a black handgun and stated, "Don't run... get on the ground." The second man, holding a silver handgun, grabbed Sykes by the arm.

During this time, the first man said, "Oh you're looking at us... you're looking at us?" and hit the witness in the head, causing the witness to fall on the ground.

According to the witness, Sykes was beginning to move to the ground when the second man made a gesture as if he were going to "pistol whip" Sykes. Then the witness heard a single gunshot and saw that Sykes was shot.

Another witness told police about an early morning phone call on July 5 with someone they knew as "Ras". In the call Ras said that he shot an individual during the course of a botched robbery, the witness told police, documents state. When this witness saw Ras later that morning, Ras told the witness that he had "f**ked up". Documents state that the witness thought Ras "appeared as if he was not himself."

Ras then said that he was at a bar when he saw an individual he intended to rob, the witness said, documents say. According to the witness, Ras said that after he left, he attempted to rob the individual and it didn't go as planned. The witness told police that Ras said he and Sykes tussled with the gun and the gun went off.

Documents state that Ras told the witness he believed the safety was on when the gun fired.

During the investigation, detectives determined a phone number associated with Lagarde placed phone calls minutes after the murder, in the area of the murder.

Later, the second witness identified a photo of Lagarde as the person it knew as "Ras".

A preliminary hearing for Lagarde has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on November 13.

Charging documents have been added to the post below.

Lagarde, Rasdavid Charging Papers (PDF)Lagarde, Rasdavid Charging Papers (Text)

Rasdavid Lagarde Arrested in the Shooting Death of Omar Sykes

Megan Arellano — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 15:03:52 -0400

Rasdavid Lagarde, 26, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree murder while armed in connection with the shooting death of 22-year-old Omar Sykes.

On July 4, Sykes was found in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds; he later died at a local hospital. Police believe his death was the result of an attempted robbery.

A Howard University student, Sykes was memorialized by friends and family on July 11.

MPD’s press release follows after the jump.

Arrest Made in Homicide: 700 Block of Fairmont Street, NW

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch announced an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting which occurred in the 700 block of Fairmont Street, NW.

On Thursday, July 4, 2013 at approximately 11:29 pm, patrol officers from the Third District responded to the 700 block of Fairmont Street, NW for the report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they located a male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 22 year-old Omar Sykes of Northwest, Washington, DC.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2013, at approximately 9:45 am, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 26 year-old Rasdavid Lagarde of Northeast, Washington, D.C. He was charged with First Degree Felony Murder While Armed in the shooting death of Omar Sykes.

Links Roundup: Omar Sykes Memorial

Laura Amico — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:50:57 -0400

Friends and family of Omar Sykes gathered at Howard University Wednesday for a memorial service. Sykes, 22, was fatally shot July 4 in a robbery attempt.

A roundup of coverage of the memorial is below.

From the Washington Post:

More than 500 people gathered at Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel Wednesday evening to remember Omar Adam Sykes, a rising senior who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery just outside the campus July 4 .

Family, friends, Howard officials and Mayor Vincent C. Gray spoke about the student who had turned 22 days before his death.

“This just simply should not have happened,” Gray said to the packed chapel as he chastised federal lawmakers for not taking “sensible steps” to keep guns off the streets.

CBS:

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, who was in attendance at the memorial service, says he would like to rename the block of Fairmont Street where the shooting took place “Omar Sykes Street.”

Weeks before the shooting, Sykes’s home was broken into. Gray announced that an arrest has been made in that case, and promises an arrest will be made in his murder, as well.

Sykes’s family is working to establish a scholarship in Omar’s name. Donations can be made here.

Gray to Speak at Omar Sykes Memorial Service Tonight; Links Roundup

Laura Amico — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:14:46 -0400

Mayor Vincent Gray is expected to speak Wednesday evening at a memorial service for Omar Sykes, the Howard University student killed last week, NBC Washington reports.

The service is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the Howard campus at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel.

Sykes' death has prompted many news reports; a links roundup is below.

Washington Post

Friends and family were shocked by the death of the community service-oriented young man, who was a leader of Howard’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a coed service fraternity. He was also a member of the Noble Black Society, an organization founded at Howard that defines itself on its Web site as a “family oriented entertainment collective focused on the purpose of Redefining Black.”

“Just to think something like this could happen is just unheard of,” said Lance Coleman, a 22-year-old Howard student and a close friend of Sykes’s. “He was probably the most well-liked guy in my life. He was always about helping people. . . . The world just lost someone pretty amazing.”

WAMU (audio is on the WAMU website):

Howard University held a vigil Friday night for 22-year-old Omar Sykes, a student who was shot and killed near the school's campus in northwest D.C. on July 4.

Sykes was walking on Fairmont Street near the campus with another student late Thursday night, when they were approached by two men, who tried to rob them.

NBC Washington:

"A lot of kids are really terrified. They can't have fun out in the night or anything like that. It is really, really, really scary," one Howard University student told News4's Megan McGrath.

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Are we missing something? Add a link or memorial message in the comments below and we will add it to this report.

Omar Sykes Storify: "It's a Cruel World"

Penny Ray — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 16:23:39 -0400

This week marked the second consecutive year that D.C. has experienced an Independence Day killing.

Omar Sykes, a 22-year-old Howard University student, was shot in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m. July 4; he later died at the hospital. Police believe his death was the result of an attempted robbery.

After the jump is a collection of Tweets and Facebook posts that have been published in memory of Sykes.

Omar Sykes Murder a Random Encounter, Police Say

Ivan Natividad — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 17:45:11 -0400

Metropolitan police believe the murder of 22-year-old Omar Sykes, a Howard University student from Northwest D.C., was the result of a random robbery gone awry.

"We believe it was a random encounter," Metropolitan Police Captain Robert Alder said at a press conference Friday. "We do not have any information that [the victims] were known to the suspects."

According to police, Sykes was found at about 11:30 Thursday night suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest; a second victim was beaten in the attack.

"Both victims were assaulted," Adler said. "We are attempting to determine if anything was actually obtained, but right now we believe it was an attempted robbery."

Adler said Sykes and his companion were walking down the street at the time two suspects, each carrying a handgun, approached them. Then, words were exchanged. Sykes and his companion were both beaten with "blunt impact injuries" and Sykes was shot, Alder said.

Sykes later died at the hospital.

Police describe one of the suspects in the fatal attack as a 5-foot-11-inch black male with a dark complexion, in his early 20s, dressed in dark clothes. The other is described as a 5-foot-10-inch black male with a short haircut, light complexion in his early 20s, dressed in a white shirt and jeans.

Police are collecting surveillance video from the area of the shooting, and MPD is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone that can provide knowledge that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. Call police at (202) 727-9099.

Howard University Shooting Victim Identified as Omar Sykes

Penny Ray — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 11:55:00 -0400

Metropolitan police have identified the victim of Thursday's fatal shooting as 22-year-old Omar Sykes.

Sykes was found in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m. Thursday suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he later died at the hospital.

Councilmember Jim Graham said in an email Friday morning that Sykes was a victim of an attempted robbery, and that a gun may have accidentally fired during that attempt. There is a witness, and there may be video evidence as well, Graham said.

A press release from MPD and Councilman Graham's message are below.

From MPD

Homicide: 700 Block of Fairmont Street, Northwest

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating a fatal shooting which occurred in the 700 block of Fairmont Street, Northwest.

On Thursday, July 4, 2013 at approximately 11:29 pm, patrol officers from the Third District responded to the 700 block of Fairmont Street, Northwest for a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they located a male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 22 year-old Omar Sykes of Northwest, Washington, 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.

From Graham:

Sadly, I must inform you that a 22 year old Howard University student was murdered at Georgia and Fairmont just before 11:30 PM last night. Another person was beaten.

My information from MPD indicates that it may have been a robbery that resulted ultimately in this death. A gun may have accidently fired during that robbery and beating. There is a witness, and there may be video evidence as well.

All of this must ultimately be confirmed. More information as it becomes available. Please pass on to others who may be interested

Councilmember Jim Graham

Howard University Student Fatally Shot Thursday

Penny Ray — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 08:31:06 -0400

Several media outlets report that a fatal shooting occurred in Northwest D.C. Thursday evening.

According to NBC Washington, around 11:30 Thursday night, two Howard University students were walking in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest, when they were approached by two men who attempted to rob the students. One of the students was shot and later died at the hospital, NBC reports.