Posted on 01/11/2023 11:28:21 AM PST by grundle
The man who opened fire early Saturday has not been identified or arrested. Police are working with the U.S. attorney's office to review the case for any potential criminal charges.
Outrage is building after a man fatally shot a 13-year-old Black middle school student whom he suspected of breaking into cars in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood.
Karon Blake of Northeast Washington was killed Saturday, Metropolitan Police said.
Police found Karon with apparent gunshot wounds as they responded to a report of a shooting just before 4 a.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of Quincy Street NE. Karon was taken to a hospital and died after lifesaving attempts, officials said.
Detectives determined that a man in a nearby residence said he had “heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles.”
The man went outside with a registered firearm to investigate and had an “interaction” with Karon.
“During the interaction, the male resident discharged his firearm striking the victim,” police said.
The man who opened fire has not been identified or arrested. He is Black, and he has retained legal counsel, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said Tuesday.
Detectives are gathering the facts and will present the case to the U.S. attorney’s office for possible charges, he said.
“A grand jury will determine if a crime occurred based on facts — and not mere speculation,” Contee said.
Authorities said that "two juvenile males" were seen running from the scene and that at least two cars were damaged on the block of the shooting, NBC Washington reported. Police later said they found a stolen car, which they believe Karon had used, near the scene.
Neighbors said they heard four to five gunshots, the station reported.
Contee was sharply critical of what he said were misinformation and speculation about the case, which he called tragic. There are social media images showing people who have no connection to the case, he said.
“People are making assumptions and searching for people that are not involved. People are making allegations centered around race — and that is wrong,” Contee said.
The man who shot Karon called police after the incident, Contee said. When officers arrived, he was performing CPR and gave officers an account of what happened, Contee said. Karon was a 'quiet and inquisitive scholar'
Karon was a student at Brookland Middle School.
The school’s principal, Kerry Richardson, said in a note to the school’s staff, obtained by NBC Washington, that he was a “quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football."
"Although he loved his neighborhood, he loved Brookland MS (the faculty & his peers) and the structure it presented to him even more,” Richardson wrote.
He is survived by his mother and three younger siblings, Richardson said.
In a letter to the families of the school community, Richardson wrote: “With great sadness, I share that a Brookland student tragically lost their life to gun violence in the early morning of January 7. Let us join in sending love and support to their family as they grieve this devastating loss. As a member of the Brookland family, we know our student will be missed by all who know them."
The school is offering mental health resources and counseling to support students and staff members. 'Property is not greater than life'
Pressure has mounted for answers, with local lawmakers condemning the shooting and demanding that the name of the person who opened fire be made public.
“Property is not greater than life. Karon should be alive today," D.C. Council member Christina Henderson tweeted Monday.
Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker said in a statement Monday: “He was a son, brother, friend and student who should still be here. I am deeply saddened and outraged by Karon’s killing.
“No car or material possession is worth a life — under any circumstances. I join Ward 5 residents in calling on the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable the individual who took Karon’s life,” he continued.
Residents at a community meeting Tuesday questioned why the shooter had not been arrested — or at least publicly identified. Some said it was insulting that the shooter’s name had not been released.
A woman who identified herself as Karon’s aunt called for justice. “We want justice — he’s 13, he was a baby," she said at the meeting.
Assistant Police Chief Morgan Kane said police have seized the weapon and are working with the U.S. attorney’s office.
If police go before a judge before they are ready, they could jeopardize the case, and investigators know they need more evidence, like video, she said.
“The last thing that we want to do is sacrifice an outcome that you all are looking for,” Kane said.
The community groups DC Safety Squad, Ward 5 Mutual Aid and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams also demanded the release of the shooter's name and any visual evidence.
In a statement, DC Safety squad said: “Karon Blake was senselessly murdered. ... We are calling on Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah to immediately have the name of Karon’s killer and any photo or video evidence collected released."
In a statement, Appiah said, “As a government, we are committed to being as open and transparent as possible in all matters while also ensuring that we act in a manner that advances the fair and equitable administration of justice."
Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday she was "incredibly saddened."
“We would rather be talking about a 13-year-old going to school today than to talk about him being killed on one of our streets," she said.
“If you feel that there is a public safety issue in or around your home, call 911. That is the appropriate thing to do, to call 911,” she added.
Six people were killed in Washington in the first week of the new year, including Karon, according to the police crime dashboard.
‘Property is not greater than life’
Well...
That depends on whose property it is.
If it’s yours, well then yes it isn’t.
if it’s mine, well then no, it is.
Spent my time working to save up enough cash to buy what
I have bought. I take a very dim view of people who try
to take my stuff, especially because many times you cannot
replace it, because they no longer make the item you own.
Yeah sure, they make cheaper less stylish versions.
Nah, stealing my things is not worth it. I warn you.
Recently saw a sticker on the rear window of a pickup:
“There is nothing in this truck worth dying for.”
Tossing cars.
Play stupid games ...
"Police later said they found a stolen car, which they believe Karon had used, near the scene." There's a whole lot more to this story.
BTW, just about gagged at the pronoun dance throughout this article.
>>The shooter and the shootee are both black.
So even black folks are getting tired of being victims of thugs...good.
The shooter is Black, expect more than a fair trial.
>>“No car or material possession is worth a life”
True in that I wouldn’t die trying to protect any of my own possessions - but not true that I don’t mind doing some killing if I have the upper hand, to protect them from someone trying to take them in the middle of the night.
>>The shooter is Black, expect more than a fair trial.
...and a government employee, which I assumed as soon as they stated that the shooter had a license to carry; most people would be denied one in DC - need to be part of the club.
âÂÂquiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football.”
“...13-year-old Black middle school student...”
Black must be the name of the middle school because it’s capitalized...
Of course it is. A robber is trying to deprive you of your sacred rights. By seizing something that is yours without your permission, he is threatening your person. He is substituting his own personal force for morality and the law.
And if he does so openly and in your presence, it's an explicitly violent and tyrannical act. He has put you in the position of either losing your right to what you have earned and bought, or risking your personal safety merely to retain what you own and he does not.
Even 13-year-olds understand this. (Try to take their stuff and watch what happens next.) The handful who defy others' personal property rights are signaling that they are criminally insane, dangerous tyrants without decency, and there is no predicting what they will do next. If they won't desist without being shot, it's sad if they die, but if they insist on invasion, there is no alternative.
Good point.
Is anyone at all asking what in the Sam Hill a 13 year old boy is doing out at 4:00 a.m. involved in suspicious activity?
All the public comments from people are talking about how tragic it is this boy was killed. Nobody is saying anything about what he did to put himself in a situation that was so dangerous. Nobody is saying he died of a consequence of voluntary self-inflicted criminal activity.
The school’s principal, Kerry Richardson, said in a note to the school’s staff, obtained by NBC Washington, that he was a “quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football.”
He evidently forgot to add that the kid also loved car thefts and break-ins at 4:00AM....
I wouldn’t die over it either. I just ask the question as an exercise. People just say this stuff like it’s a given and then act smug. I like to say, “Oh yeah? Why? A car can be used as a deadly weapon and this guy is stealing one? Is he going to run over me or some other innocent?”
In his verbal statements, Richardson used singular pronouns, and in his written statement, he used plural pronouns.
What's up with that? Is the plural pronoun now preferred?
Grandpa said he died “looking in cars.”
If an LGBTQ women, she would have absolute immunity.
A quiet and inquisitive car thief.
Well-educated in the fine art of boosting.
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