On Saturday, January 28, 2006, at approximately 7:45 pm, two pedestrians were struck by a motor vehicle in the 800 block of Southern Avenue, SE. The pedestrians were transported by a DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department ambulance to a local hospital. One of them, identified as 25-year-old Shanika Nicole Howard, of no fixed address, was critically injured. Her son, 7-year-old Jay Shawn Howard, was pronounced dead.

Reportedly, the accident occurred when the mother and child, who had just exited a Metrobus, were crossing the roadway from the Maryland side of Southern Avenue toward a residence in the District of Columbia.  A Jeep Cherokee that was traveling in the northeast-bound lane of Southern Avenue struck them.

The driver was not injured. Neither speed nor alcohol on the part of the driver was a factor in the accident. Preliminary investigation indicates that the cause of the accident was a pedestrian violation.

This case is under investigation by members of the Metropolitan Police Department's Major Crash Investigations Unit.