Teen Arrested for New Year's Eve Murder of LSU Student in D.C. Hotel

The fatal shooting of Ashlei Hinds marks the first homicide in Washington D.C. in 2024, continuing the city's ongoing homicide crisis.

18-year-old Jelani Cousin has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Ashlei Hinds, a Louisiana State University student, at a New Year's Eve party in a D.C. hotel.
The shooting occurred just before 1:20 a.m. on January 1, marking the first homicide reported in Washington D.C. in 2024.
Hinds was attending the party with a group of people, some of whom she didn't know closely. An altercation broke out after someone was told to leave, and shots were fired.
Hinds was a rising star, having graduated from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School as the Student Government Association president and a member of the National Honors Society. She was studying sports administration at Louisiana State University with the hope of becoming a sports agent or an athletic director.
The fatal shooting continues a homicide crisis in D.C., which saw 274 homicides reported in 2023, the highest number of murders the city has seen since 1997.