D.C. Police Say They Know Club Suspect's Nickname

Capt. C.V. Morris said many witnesses have come forward with information about the slaying of a teenager in a nightclub. "The public has been great on this one," he said, predicting that the case would be solved soon. (By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)

D.C. police said yesterday they know the nickname of the man who allegedly killed a 17-year-old girl at a Northwest Washington nightclub over the weekend but have not been able to find him.

Detectives issued a public appeal for the suspect to turn himself in as details emerged about the killing of Taleshia Ford. Police did not release the nickname or other information about the suspect.

Ford was hit by a single bullet about 2 a.m. Saturday while on the dance floor at Smarta/Broadway at 1919 Ninth St. NW. Police said another patron's gun fired during an altercation with a bouncer.

Police had said earlier that they believed the gun was fired accidentally. Although that remains a possibility, Capt. C.V. Morris said yesterday that authorities are not certain that the firing was accidental. He said they remain convinced, however, that Ford was not a target.

"She was on the dance floor, pretty much minding her own business," said Morris, head of the department's Violent Crimes Branch.

Detectives have interviewed key witnesses, building upon their initial understanding of what happened, Morris said.

Police still believe that the gunshot was fired during a confrontation with the club's bouncer, Morris said. He would not say what sparked the argument.

Police initially said the trouble began after a woman was kicked out of the club by security guards who accused her of smoking marijuana. They had said she returned with a male friend, who was carrying a gun that accidentally fired in the altercation with the bouncer.

But Morris said yesterday that the woman who was thrown out of the club did not reenter the place. He said she knew the gunman, but it was unclear whether they planned to be at the club at the same time or simply saw each other outside the front door.

Morris said he believes police will solve the case soon because many witnesses emerged and "the public has been great on this one."

Smarta/Broadway, also known as Club 1919, was temporarily shut down by police after the shooting. The club's owner, Smart E. Aziken, turned in his liquor license yesterday to the D.C. liquor board, said Jeff Coudriet, director of operations for the city's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.

Aziken will face a hearing, tentatively scheduled for tomorrow, that will determine whether the club reopens, Coudriet said.

D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) scheduled a public roundtable for 2 p.m. Thursday to explore whether laws about underage patrons in nightclubs should be changed. Graham said he hopes to permanently shutter Smarta/Broadway.

Ford, who lived in Northeast Washington, was a student at Booker T. Washington charter school in Columbia Heights.

Principal Richard A. Jackson said the school's 225 students spent part of yesterday writing condolence notes to the Ford family. Jackson said Ford's mother was a frequent visitor to the charter school, which trains students in construction apprenticeship programs and also grants a high school diploma.

Ford, who was in her second year at the school, was in the plumbing program, Jackson said. He described her as a confident young woman who was working on her plans for after high school. She intended to go to college and had applied to three schools before the winter break. "Teenagers at this age tend to be quite boisterous, but she had a certain kind of confidence about herself where she knew who she was," he said.

Ford's mother, Michelle Wilson, said yesterday that her daughter was the balance in her life. She said the family called Ford "the Light" because of her sunny personality.

"She just knew how to make a situation light, no matter how bad it was," said Wilson, who was completing funeral arrangements.