A Northeast Washington man has been arrested in connection with the July shooting death of a popular member of the Howard University community, authorities say Rasdavid Lagarde, a 26-year-old D.C. man, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and charged with first degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Omar Sykes, a 22-year-old Howard senior.Sykes, a junior student of marketing and a member of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, was murdered on July 4 in the 700 block of Fairmount Street NW, just off the Howard campus.
Both Sykes and another student were the target of an armed robbery near Howard, MPD officials say. One of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot Sykes in the chest.
He later died at a nearby hospital. The other student was beaten by the suspects, suffering non life-threatening injuries.
Fraternity brothers and neighbors remembered Sykes after his death as a person with an encouraging nature and uplifting spirit.
“You just have to shake your head at the senselessness of it,” Howard student Jason Booker said at a community meeting held shortly after the shooting.
