The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a missing 2-year-old boy was found Wednesday after his mother was fatally shot in a Northwest Washington alley Tuesday night.
MPD issued an AMBER Alert saying they were searching for the the boy, named Royce Hawkins, earlier Wednesday. They announced he was recovered unharmed and called off the alert in a post on X. The news came hours after Fourth District officers reached the 600 block of Kenyon Street Northwest at approximately 10:52 p.m. Tuesday after a report of gunfire, according to an MPD press release. They found an unresponsive woman in the rear alley with what appeared to be gunshot injuries. Emergency medical crews attempted to save her but declared her dead at the scene. (RELATED: DC Issues Juvenile Curfew After Teen Takeover Allegedly Ends With Gunshots)
“We thank the community for their assistance and will provide updates on the investigation shortly,” MPD wrote.
UPDATE: Royce Hawkins has been located unharmed. The AMBER Alert is canceled.
We thank the community for their assistance and will provide updates on the investigation shortly. https://t.co/R0iWqWTovh
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) April 22, 2026
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said in a video statement on MPD’s X account that a preliminary investigation determined the woman had been in a verbal dispute with a man in the alley before he shot her and took off. Officers have been canvassing the surrounding area since the shooting, Carroll said.
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll provides an update on a critical missing child after a fatal shooting in Northwest late Tuesday night.
2-year-old Royce Hawkins is a black male, light complexion, brown eyes, black hair. Last seen wearing a long sleeve yellow/blue striped shirt. pic.twitter.com/vI24YdSdW9
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) April 22, 2026
Detectives identified the victim during the investigation and discovered she had a 2-year-old son, Royce Hawkins, whose whereabouts were unknown, Carroll added at the time. Before the boy was found, he was last seen with his mother around 7 p.m. Tuesday near the 500 block of Kenyon Street Northwest. Hawkins is a 2-year-old black male with a light complexion, brown eyes, and black hair. He was wearing a yellow and blue striped shirt. The suspect is described as a male in his mid-20s dressed entirely in black and wearing a ski mask, WJLA reported.
MPD is offering up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case, according to the press release. Anyone with knowledge of the child’s location can call 911. Tips about the shooting can be directed to 202-727-9099 or sent via text to 50411.
Editor’s note: Article updated to reflect that MPD announced the boy was found unharmed.