On November 19, 2025, a Superior Court jury found Reginald Steele, Jr., 26, guilty of first-degree murder while armed, multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and other firearm-related offenses. The verdict is connected to the killing of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020, as well as a separate shooting in the Petworth neighborhood on February 22, 2020. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.
Steele was identified as a member and associate of several neighborhood crews including 3500, CHV, Rock Creek Church, Really Ready Gang, and 640. Four co-defendants were tried and convicted separately. According to authorities, there was an ongoing conflict between these groups and another crew called Ninth Street regarding local rivalries.
The conflict escalated after the death of Tahlil Byrd (Slatt Goon), a member of the Really Ready Gang/3500 group, who was killed in September 2019 in territory controlled by Ninth Street. Several months later on March 1, Steele and three others drove through Ninth Street’s area in a stolen Kia Soul searching for members or associates of their rivals.
As detailed by prosecutors, Steele and his accomplices spotted Malachi Lukes walking with friends toward S Street NW to play basketball. After following them into an alleyway around 2:08 p.m., two men exited the vehicle and fired eleven shots. Lukes was struck in the back while fleeing; he died at the scene from wounds that affected his heart and lung. Another teenager was shot in the leg but survived; two others escaped injury.
Shortly afterward at approximately 2:18 p.m., Steele and his associates reportedly targeted another location frequented by Ninth Street members but no injuries were reported during that incident.
The prosecution’s case relied primarily on circumstantial evidence including surveillance footage, text messages, GPS information from the stolen car involved in both shootings as well as cell site data. A key part of the evidence involved shell casings recovered from both March shootings that matched those from an earlier incident on February 22 in Petworth where Steele had allegedly been involved in firing eleven shots following an argument.
In announcing the verdicts alongside Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), U.S. Attorney Pirro stated: “I commend the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman who was assisted by Supervisory Paralegals Tasha Harris and April Urbanowski.” She further acknowledged contributions from Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen; Supervisory Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Robert Cephas; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Leif Hickling; Will Henderson; Charlie Bruce; Emily Miller; Chimnomnso Kalu; ATF; FBI; United States Marshal Service; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS); U.S. Park Police; Montgomery County Police Department; DC Department of Corrections; Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb and Nebiyu Feleke for their roles in prosecuting this case.
