Charges filed in Gary double-homicide; suspect at large

A man who is considered dangerous and on the loose has been charged with killing two 18-year-old men in Gary, Ind. last week, police announced Monday night.

Shelton Curtis, 22, faces two counts of murder in the Aug. 6 shooting deaths of James Powell and Raymond Washington-Whitehead, authorities said.

Curtis was still at large as of Monday night and “is considered armed and dangerous,” Gary police spokeswoman Dawn Westerfield said in a statement.

There were no additional details released about the investigation.

On Aug. 6, police received a call of shots fired in the 1100 block of Lane Street just before noon and found a man dead in the front yard of a home, police said at the time.

Several officers then entered the home “clearing it for public safety” and found another man dead inside, police said.

Powell was from the 2400 block of Whitcomb in Gary, and Washington-Whitehead lived in the 8600 block of Illinois Street in Merrillville, Ind., according to the Lake County coroner’s office.

Their deaths were among seven murders in seven days in Gary.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Squad at (219) 755-3852 or the police department at (219) 881-1260.