A promising TV actor who appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Network has been charged with a shocking murder.
21-year-old Akili McDowell, of Channelview, Texas, shot another man dead at a Houston apartment block. McDowell was charged with theft and murder after the July 20 incident.
The actor, who starred in the series David Makes Man, was apparently pushing drugs at the Thorntree Apartments near Uvalde.
Neighbors told ABC13 that McDowell was “the weed man” at the apartment block where he met with his victim. An altercation occurred between McDowell and 20-year-old Cesar Peralta, who apparently wanted to purchase drugs from McDowell.
“This defendant was seen talking to the complainant. They had a fistfight. The defendant pulled out a pistol and shot him once. When the complainant went to his car, he shot him again and again," prosecutors said in court.
Witnesses say McDowell fled on foot. The victim sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Homicide investigators charged Akili McDowell (21) with murder in the shooting death of Cesar Peralta (20). McDowell was recently taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote in an update.
"The investigation is on-going and we encourage anyone with info to contact the Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100."
Somewhat ironically, McDowell's breakout role was in a drama series about a young man's struggle to leave the ghetto. McDowell was just 16 when he starred in David Makes Man, which ran for two seasons on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
He told Oprah that the show has an uplifting message: “you can be something. You don’t have to settle for what everybody may think you’re going to be. You can work to be better. And you can be better."
McDowell also had roles in Showtime’s Billions and the new movie The Waterboyz. McDowell was promoting The Waterboyz on social media even after the murder, ABC13 reported.
The disgraced actor is being held on $400,000 bond at the Harris County jail.
“This is an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy,” said his manager, Jonell Whitt.
