Post by Scumhunter on Sept 22, 2015 8:52:03 GMT -5
From the time Diamond Teague was a baby, his mother, Florence Teague, tried her best to keep him out of harm's way. Diamond learned to walk before he was even one year old, and his mother recalls that the precocious infant quickly grew fond of putting any and everything in his mouth. But instead of chastising or frightening her son, Florence decided to make a game of hide seek out of his penchant for picking things up off the floor.
But Florence could not protect her only son from senseless violence in their impoverished D.C. neighborhood. Early on the morning of October 9, 2003, Diamond was shot in the head and killed on his on front porch by an unknown assailant. He was only 19 years old.
A Nice Young Man
In the spring of 2003, Diamond received a college scholarship and was looking forward to attending the University of the District of Columbia that fall. What makes his death even more painful for his family and friends is the fact that he was never involved in street life or violence. He was a Christian who often expressed his beliefs about abstinence and the value of marriage. He was the drummer at Galilee Baptist Church, an avid basketball player, and a member of the Earth Conservation Corps, a nonprofit organization benefiting inner D.C. youth.
That someone would snuff out such a promising life is still incomprehensible to Florence, her husband, daughter, and the rest of their family and friends.
"He was doing the right thing," she remembers. "He never let the peer pressure get to him."
A Senseless Act
Florence Teague still doesn't know exactly what happened to Diamond, but she does remember that on the night he was killed, he was in high spirits. She says that he was in the house playing a video game, when one of his friends called and suggested that they go sit outside for a while. After a few hours of hearing the boys laughing and chatting on the porch, Florence says she almost went out to tell them to quiet down. She decided not to bother the boys, but a few minutes later heard murmuring and a loud pop. Diamond had been shot.
His friend says the two assailants threatened him in a nearby alley moments before they went back and shot Diamond.
Still No Answers
It's been nearly three years since Diamond's death, and D.C. police still don't have any suspects or leads in the case. Florence says his friend, who was probably the last person to see Diamond alive, passed three polygraph tests. She adds that rumors have been swirling around the neighborhood since her son died, but nothing conclusive has come of them. But whoever is responsible, Florence knows Diamond is in a better place.
"He didn't do anything but help people," she says. "No one can think of [any motive] but jealousy."
Thoughts? The above story was from the AMW archives. It was a web-exclusive case on the old website, part of AMW's "My Story" feature where the victim's friends or family writes in to request the case. In this case, Diamond's mother requested the case. I am assuming this case is still unsolved since just 3 years ago, a park near where baseball's Washington Nationals play was named after Diamond Teague.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot to work with here- there seems to be no motive as to why someone would have a beef with Diamond and apparently it might have just been some random assailants looking to cause trouble.
The only hope is someone from the community knows exactly what happens and one day has the courage to do the right thing and step forward.
Admin Note #1: According to online articles, anyone with information about Teague's death can contact Metropolitan Police at 202-727-9099. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call 888-919-2746. Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department's tip by text-messaging 50411.
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20060205072604/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=35010
www.washingtonexaminer.com/cold-case-park-near-nats-stadium-named-for-diamond-in-rough/article/2500494