Police Charge Man For Fatally Gunning Down A Man Inside A Northeast, D.C., Apartment
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 10:10 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WASHINGTON, DC.- On Thursday, following an investigation, a 45-year-old Washington, D.C., man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with allegedly fatally gunning down a 44-year-old man last month inside a North Capitol Street apartment.
According to Interim D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll, and as previously reported, on Friday, December 19, 2025, just shortly after 2:30 a.m., members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Fifth District responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting gunfire inside an apartment located on the 1000 Block of North Capitol Street in Northeast, D.C.
Upon arrival, Responding Police Officers made entry into an apartment unit where they discovered the lifeless body of Melvin Saunders, 44, of Northeast, D.C., having succumbed to a gunshot wound. Mr. Saunders was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene by DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
During the ensuing investigation, based on witness accounts, D.C. Homicide Branch Detectives were able to identify the shooter as Niwatilagu Long, 45, with no known address, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On Thursday, January 8, 2026, pursuant to a DC Superior Court warrant, Long was located and taken into custody and formally charged with one count of second-degree Murder While Armed. He was processed on the charge and was remanded to the D.C. Central Detention Facility pending future court proceedings in the Superior Court of 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.
