Damon Ward

It’s an experience you never ever get comfortable with…meeting a mother, a single mother after her child has been shot and killed! Barbara Ward flew to DC, no make that Arlington, Virginia, on Tuesday and made herself available to reporters covering her son’s murder.

33 year old Damon Ward, an architect, was slain as he stepped out of the Duke City Jazz club in the 1200 block of U Street in Northwest DC this past weekend.

U Street is part of this city’s great African American history. Duke Ellington, a DC native got his start here. During segregated times this is the place where blacks came to shop, wine and dine. Integration and later the riots ended U Street’s run; but then came Metro (subway system) and gentrification. U Street is the main street again for a booming real estate market with condo’s going for a half million and more! U Street is again one of the District’s great nightspots along with Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Dupont Circle and Gallery Place!

This past Saturday Damon Ward, an architect, Florida A and M University grad and New York native traveled into DC from his Arlington Condo, to attend a birthday party with friends at a club called Duke’s City. The GM who goes by the name Zee told me there were 80 or so people inside that night…having a good time as four people celebrated birthdays well into Saturday night. At about 3 am Sunday as the U street clubs were closing and people spilling out, a fight was breaking out up the street over a parking space. Someone produced a gun! At the very time that Damon Ward and friends were exiting Duke’s club at least two shots rang…one hitting Damon in the chest. The other bullet striking a 21 year old female friend in the leg. She’ll recover. Damon died hours later at Howard University Hospital. Barbara Ward had been talking to her son earlier Saturday evening by telephone. From Atlanta she was trying to get help with her computer. Two hours into their effort he said he had to leave to attend a birthday party in DC.

Barbara Ward, a Howard University grad, now living in Atlanta said she hopes the people responsible for her son’s death will come forward. She called her loss “a great tragedy for the country as I’m sure Damon was headed for Greatness”. The grieving mother also thanked reporters gathered for their coverage of her son’s death…She emphasized that “this was not a driveby”! Why do you suppose this grieving mother even felt the need to say that?