‘David Makes Man’ actor Akili McDowell charged with murder in Houston shooting

FILE – Akili McDowell participates in OWN’s “David Makes Man” panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, July 25, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

HOUSTON, Texas — Actor Akili McDowell, who starred in the television series “David Makes Man” and had roles in “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” has been charged with fatally shooting a man in the parking lot of a Houston apartment complex, authorities said.

McDowell, 21, was charged last week with murder in the July 20 shooting death of Cesar Peralta, 20, the Harris County sheriff’s office said. McDowell remained in jail Monday on $400,000 bond on the murder charge. The attorney listed for him in court records did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

“This is an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy,” said his manager, Jonell Whitt, adding that she had no further comment.

The sheriff’s office said deputies found an unresponsive man with gunshot wounds after responding to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex on July 20. The sheriff’s office said several witnesses told deputies the man had been in a physical altercation with another man, who fled on foot after the shooting.

“David Makes Man,” which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, followed a teen named David, played by McDowell, who tried to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his impoverished South Florida neighborhood.

According to the entertainment database IMDb, McDowell appeared in some episodes of “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” and has a role in the recently released movie “The Waterboyz.”