Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) First District Commander Morgan Kane said the victim in a stabbing homicide at Potomac Metro Station April 28 was fleeing down the escalator towards the station when he was stabbed.
MPD have released photos of the two individuals wanted in connection with the armed robbery and murder of 40-year-old Jamal Ferrell, a resident of Southeast DC.
Around 11:42 p.m. Sunday, April 28th police went to the station after receiving a 911 call. Kane said that surveillance video appeared to indicate that the victim was stabbed on the escalators and robbed at the end of the incident.
Ferrell was found unconscious in the metro station, suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to an area hospital but was pronounced dead after life-saving efforts failed.
Police are looking for a young man and young woman, both 18 years old. Xavier Dontrell Culbreth is currently wanted on a DC Superior Court arrest warrant for First Degree Murder while Armed. He is described as a black male, 5’ 7” tall and about 145 pounds, with brown eyes, dreadlocks and a dark complexion. Jada Jena Smith is wanted for Armed Robbery. She is described as a black female about 5’ 1” tall and 110 pounds, with brown eyes, blonde hair and a light complexion.
Speaking at the First District Citizen’s Advisory Council (1D CAC) meeting held Wednesday, May 1 at Liberty Church (527 Kentucky Ave. SE), Commander Kane said that the photos were being released because a search conducted by the department without public assistance had been unsuccessful. The victim’s identity had been withheld until Wednesday pending notification of next of kin.
Kane said a connection had not been established between the victim and the suspects, nor was it clear why the victim fled down into the station. The last train departs Potomac Station at 11:20 p.m. Sundays. The gate to the revenue level of the station, located at the base of the escalators, was closed, and Ferrell did not go past it.
The homicide took place in the Potomac Metro Station, but jurisdiction was transferred from the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) to MPD when it was determined to be a homicide, said Captain Steven Boehm of MTPD at the 1DCAC meeting.
Speaking on Metro safety in the area of Potomac Metro Station, Captain Boehm said the area from L’Enfant Station to Potomac is a major area of concern in regard to crime, but added that in the thirty-day cycle proceeding the event, no crimes were reported at Potomac Avenue Station. He said that there had been an uptick in robberies and snatches, some incorporating force and violence, on blue line trains. 90% of crimes on the blue and orange lines take place on the trains themselves in the after-school hours, he said, and so officers are concentrated on board.
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 responsible 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 sending a text message to 50411.
The 1DCAC meeting takes place monthly, with the next scheduled for June 1 at a yet-to-be-determined location. Citizen’s Advisory Council meetings provide a forum for open discussion about policing, its effects and the roles of citizens, faith-based organizations, residents and businesses. The regular monthly CAC meeting is generally held the first week of the month and last for one hour. Email caconlineall@gmail.com, or visit www.1dcac.com for more information.
