‘David Makes Man’ Actor Akili McDowell Charged with Murder in Houston Man Shooting

HOUSTON (AP) — Actor Akili McDowell, who starred in the tv series “David Makes Man” and starred in the movies “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” has been charged with fatally shooting a person in the car parking zone of a Houston apartment complex, authorities said.

McDowell, 21, was charged last week with murder in connection with the July 20 death of Cesar Peralta, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said. McDowell remained jailed Monday on $400,000 bail on the murder charge. An attorney listed in court records didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

“This is an unfortunate situation and my prayers are with Akili and everyone affected by this tragedy,” his manager Jonell Whitt said, adding that she had no further comment.

Featured Stories

The sheriff’s office said officers found an unconscious man with gunshot wounds after responding to a call a couple of shooting at an apartment complex on July 20. The sheriff’s office said several witnesses told officers the person was in a conflict with one other man who fled on foot after the shooting.

David Makes Man, which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN show, followed a youngster named David (played by McDowell) who struggled to reconcile the relationships between his highschool friends and the drug dealers in his impoverished South Florida neighborhood.

According to the IMDb database, McDowell has appeared in several episodes of the series “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” and in addition starred in the recently released film “The Waterboyz.”