The community is rallying to support the family of 29-year-old Akwalabeng “Asong” Fontava, who was shot and killed in his North Bethesda apartment on Sunday, September 21. A GoFundMe has been launched to assist with funeral expenses and honor his memory, describing him as a kindhearted, faith-driven young man whose life was taken far too soon.
According to the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), officers responded to the 5900 block of Montrose Road around 7:40 a.m. and found Fontava inside an apartment with an apparent gunshot wound. Detectives learned that an adult man and woman inside the apartment were allegedly kidnapped after the shooting. The man was later released in Silver Spring, and the woman was located at Westfield Montgomery Mall with 37-year-old Sheldon Milan Boykins of Hyattsville, who was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping and firearms offenses. Two additional suspects remain at large as the homicide investigation continues.
Fontava leaves behind his parents, siblings, and a niece described as his “favorite person in the world.” The family’s fundraiser shares that “anything you can give—whether it’s a donation or simply sharing this page—means the world to us.”
