
Actor Akili McDowell of “Billions” and “David Makes Man” is accused of murder.
According to The New York Times and the Associated Press, McDowell, 21, was taken into custody on Thursday after police claimed he had shot and killed a man in the parking lot of a Houston apartment building.
The actor is now charged with theft of property worth at more than $100 but less than $750, according arrest documents obtained by USA TODAY.
For comment, USA TODAY has contacted McDowell’s attorneys and representative as well as the Harris County sheriff’s office.
Following a call regarding a shooting at an apartment building, the Harris County sheriff’s office reported that on July 20, deputies discovered 20-year-old Cesar Peralta unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the reports.
Peralta and another man were engaged in a physical altercation at the time of the gunshot, witnesses told the investigators.
According to the reports, the second man then left on foot.
As of Tuesday, McDowell was being held on a $400,000 bond, per the arrest documents. October 9 is the actor’s scheduled court date on the murder charge.
Who is Akili McDowell?
IMDb notes that the actor appeared in two episodes of Season 5 of the Showtime drama “Billions” as Savion Williams.
In the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) series “David Makes Man,” he also portrayed the title role of a young genius who was raised in poverty in South Florida.
The two seasons of the show ran from 2019 to 2021.
Other roles that McDowell has had include those in the following:
the 2015 ABC limited series “The Astronaut Wives Club” as Zavier Gibbs, the 2018 Trinity Broadcast Network series “Chase the Lion” as a young George Washington Carver, the 2024 crime drama “The Waterboyz” as Drew, and the 2015 crime thriller “Criminal Activities” starring John Travolta and Michael Pitt as Young Isaac.