Source: Karon Blake / Twitter
UPDATED: 11:00 a.m. ET, Jan. 31
Originally published on Jan. 9
A homeowner in the nation’s capital who shot a 13-year-old boy to death he suspected of being a car thief is expected to turn himself in and be criminally charged, according to a new report.
Jason Lewis, who had previously only been identified as a city government employee in Washington, D.C., was named as the gunman in the shooting that killed Karon Blake in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, NBC News reported. He was expected to be charged with second-degree murder.
The shooting sparked city-wide protests and demands for an arrest to be made.
An attorney representing Lewis says his client is maintaining innocence in the shooting he admitted to.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Original story:
A 13-year-old Black boy was shot and killed in Northeast D.C. by a local homeowner who believed the boy was breaking into vehicles in the neighborhood. Authorities said the shooting took place around 4 a.m. in the 1000 block of Quincy Street.
According to Fox 5, the shooter, who has not been identified, shot the boy several times and killed him after claiming the 13-year-old had broken into multiple cars on the street. When police arrived on the scene they found the homeowner performing CPR on the young child.
Authorities have been pretty tight-lipped about the incident, but have said that there was no indication the boy was armed, and the firearm used in the shooting was legally registered by the homeowner, who is allegedly cooperating with authorities.
Although police have yet to release the name of the shooter, according to Fox 5 the 13-year-old boy was identified by police as Karon Blake. Blake was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators believe two other boys who were involved in the altercation fled the scene on foot before police could arrive.
There has been no arrest in the shooting death of Karon Blake and community leaders are outraged at the lack of transparency.
“I’m at a loss for words as to what would possess a resident to take matters into their own hands and take the life of a young person,” Ward 5 Council Member Zachary Parker told Fox 5.
Parker also told Fox that since he’s been in office his constituents have brought up many issues, but one of them was justice for Karon.
“One is about the amount of crime and incidents happening across the city. The other is also related to this case and how little information is being released about the person that took Karon’s life, and so I’m joining on neighbors and calling on MPD to release information and hold the individual accountable,” said Parker.
“The family is distraught, and what we’ve expressed to them is that we’re there to support them in whatever way is necessary.”
Oddly, a 13-year-old gets shot and killed by an adult, but it’s the 13-year-old’s name that’s released by police. We’re not saying that authorities are protecting the man who shot Karon Blake, but it sure looks like it.
Anywho, according to WUSA 9, detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are currently working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to review the facts and circumstances for any potential criminal charges.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099.
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