Police Charge Man In September 2023, Northwest, D.C. Fatal Shooting

Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- On Tuesday, a 41-year-old Washington, D.C., man currently in custody was formally charged in connection with fatally gunning down a 43-year-old man back in September 2023, in Northwest, D.C.

     According to Interim D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, and as previously reported, on Friday, September 1, 2023, just shortly after 11:00 p.m., members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District responded to reports of a shooting on the 100 Block of Farragut Street in Northwest, D.C.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers located a man, later identified as Richard Ruffin, III, 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, on the ground, unresponsive, having succumbed to gunshot wounds. Mr. Ruffin was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene. 

     During the ensuing investigation, based on witness accounts and area video surveillance footage, Detectives of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch were able to identify the suspect as Aubrey Canarte, 41, Northeast, D.C., as the individual responsible for the shooting death of Mr. Ruffin, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

     On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, pursuant to a DC Superior Court warrant, members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Fugitive Unit traveled to the D.C. Central Detention Facility and formally charged Canarte with one count of first-degree Murder While Armed. Canarte was processed on the charge and remanded back into custody 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.”