WASHINGTON — Police have arrested a teenager connected to the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy on the Brookland-CUA Metro platform last week.
DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith announced the arrest on Tuesday. The suspect is a 16-year-old boy. He's currently being charged as a juvenile with second-degree murder.
"Nothing will ever be able to make Avion's family feel whole again," Smith said, adding that she hoped the arrest brought the family some sense of closure.
On Thursday, a group of teenagers got into an altercation on the Metro platform. At some point, a person who was not involved in the fight pulled out a gun and opened fire.
It wasn't clear how many shots were fired, but 14-year-old Avion Evans was struck by gunfire and later pronounced dead on the platform.
During the arrest announcement, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker said Avion's killer will be held responsible.
“There is a sense that juveniles can commit crime and get away with it. That is not the message Attorney General Schwalb shared with me.” Councilmember Parker said.
George Nader, the Assistant Chief for Metro Transit Police said the shooting is a reflection of all the guns that are in the wrong hands.
Nader said Metro has and will continue taking extra steps to make sure riders are safe, including, increased patrolling and security.
Parker will have a public safety meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Luke C Moore High School to address safety concerns.
>WATCH: Press conference announcing arrest
Jordan Bonnardel, a D.C. teacher, told WUSA9 he was on his way home when he heard the gunshot.
"He was on the ground. He was not moving at all," Bonnardel said. "They were moving him like a puppet. No response at all. I didn’t see any blood and I couldn’t see where he was shot because I left the station."
We heard passionate calls for change from people who live in this community who say they are tired of this violence.
“It’s very frightening," a man who has lived in the area for 10 years, Abdur-Rahman Muhammad said. "We had a murder on Catholic’s campus also last summer and just last week the CVS was burglarized, they ran a vehicle through the front door to try to steal the ATM.”
There was a plea for change outside the Metro station as people who live nearby gathered.
“I’ve seen this neighborhood turn into a hellscape," Muhammad said. "This used to be one of the safest neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.”
A GoFundMe page was started to help support expenses for the family. Its goal was $7,000, and on Tuesday morning, it reached its goal.
Editor's Note: DC Police mistakenly said the suspect arrested was 17-years-old in a previous statement.