At approximately 12:31 on the afternoon of Monday, December 28, 1998, DCFD personnel responded to 4951 G Street, SE for a fire. Fire-fighters extinguished the small blaze shortly after their arrival.

Prior to the arrival of fire-fighters, three people leaped from windows of the building to escape the fire. One of them, identified as 48-year-old Bobby Lee Coleman, of the 5300 block of E Street, SE, who jumped from a third floor window, was taken to DC General Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 1:20 pm as a result of injuries sustained from the fall. The other two people, a 19-year-old female and a 26-year-old male, were transported to DC General Hospital. The woman was treated for a broken leg and the man was treated for smoke inhalation.

A 47-year-old female was also transported from the scene to DC General Hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Metropolitan Police Department and DC Fire Department personnel, but appears to be suspicious in nature.

Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch at 202-727-4347 or the DC Crime Solvers Unit at 1-800-673-2777.

All calls to the Crime Solvers Unit are confidential and a caller need not give his or her name. If the information provided by a caller to the Crime Solvers Unit leads to an arrest and indictment, the caller will be eligible for a reward of up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.