Police Charge Man In December 2024 Dupont Circle Stabbing Death

Friday, May 9, 2025, 6:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- On Thursday, a 46-year-old Northwest, D.C., man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with the stabbing death of a man that occurred late last year at Dupont Circle in Northwest, D.C.

     According to D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith, on Monday, December 30, 2024, shortly before 4:00 p.m., members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District and the United States Park Police responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a stabbing at Dupont Circle in Northwest, D.C.

Police Find Man Stabbed

     Upon arrival, Police Officers located a man, later identified as Dominique Ratiff, 36, of Northwest, D.C., suffering from a life-threatening stab wound. Mr. Ratiff was immediately transported by DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services to a nearby hospital, where, despite life-saving efforts, Mr. Ratiff succumbed to his injury and was pronounced deceased a short time later.

Detectives Identify Shields As The Assailant

     During an ensuing investigation, Detectives of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch were able to identify the assailant as Donald Shields, 46, of Northwest, D.C., and an arrest warrant was issued for his arrest.

     Shields was located and taken into custody on Thursday, May 8, 2025, pursuant to the DC Superior Court arrest warrant. Detectives formally charged Shields with one count of second-degree Murder While Armed. Shields was processed on the charge and was remanded to the D.C. Central Detention Facility, pending future court proceedings in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”