'Ari, don't die' | Court docs give insight into shooting that killed 10-year-old Arianna Davis
Arianna was just 10 years old when she was hit by a stray bullet on Mother's Day. She died three days later.
Five months after 10-year-old Arianna Davis was hit by a stray bullet and killed, police say they have arrested a man responsible for her death. Now, court documents are giving more insight into the girl's death and how investigators identified and apprehended the man accused of killing her.
The 45-page court document reveals what happened in the moments leading up to the deadly shooting, how weapons found during the investigation are linked to numerous other cases in DC, and how detectives identified 19-year-old Koran Gregory as a suspect.
53 Rounds of Gunfire in 15 Seconds
On May 14, Arianna was riding in the backseat of a car with her family while celebrating Mother's Day in the 3700 block of Hayes Street in Northeast.
ShotSpotter, software that detects and reports gunshots, recorded 53 rounds of gunfire in just 13 seconds in the area as the car with Arianna and her family inside passed through, according to court documents.
According to court documents, surveillance video showed a black late model Audi with no front tag had circled the complex once prior to the shooting. When the Audi headed toward the area for a second time, a white Jeep Renegade was seen driving in the same direction behind it. Inside that Jeep was Arianna Davis and her family.
Officials say the surveillance videos captured the moment the Audi abruptly stopped in the roadway and several people got out of the car to start shooting at a group of people in front of apartments along Hayes Street. In a video from a home east of the shooting, officials claim to hear a "barrage of gunfire" that lasts several seconds.
"There is a pause before the sound of a second volley of gunfire, some of which sounds fully automatic," the court documents read.
After the gunfire stopped, the Audi reportedly fled west and was captured on surveillance video speeding onto DC 295.
Court documents say the Jeep can be seen on surveillance video backing up as the situation unfolded but Arianna was hit in the head by one of the stray bullets. Her family drove to a DC Fire and EMS station, where first responders took her to an area hospital. She died three days later.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the stray bullet caused "catastrophic damage" and ruled her death a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head.
"Ari don't die"
Detectives went to Children's National Medical Center and spoke with Arianna's family members, referred to as Witness 1 and Witness 2 in court documents, who were inside the Jeep with her and two other children when the shooting occurred.
Witness 1 says they were driving onto Hayes Street when the car in front of them stopped suddenly. Both witnesses claimed multiple people got out of the car and began shooting with what they described as "machine guns."
The driver backed away, in an attempt to get their family out of the line of fire and that is when they heard their car get hit. The witness explained to detectives that they thought they were caught in the crossfire or one of the suspects mistakenly believed the family was with the shooters.
The driver then told police they didn't realize anyone had been shot until they heard a younger child say, "Ari, don't die."
Witness 1 said they began driving toward a hospital before diverting to a firehouse on the way.
The investigation leads to a car engulfed in flames in Maryland
Several people called 911 to report the shooting, and one caller described hearing more than 100 shots.
The Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch Major Case Squad began investigating and techs would go on to recover more than 60 shell casings from various firearms and a latex glove. Even more shell casings were found a short distance away, where police believe the shooting first began. However, officials have yet to find any of the actual guns used in the deadly shooting.
The gunfire left damage to nearby apartments and cars in the area, with investigators saying auto glass littered the street as far as several car lengths. Windows of nearby homes were also damaged, with one bullet traveling into the house and becoming lodged in a stair tread.
Forensic processing reported the Jeep Arianna was riding in sustained damage to the front passenger door. The windows on the trunk lid, the front passenger side and the rear passenger side, where Arianna was sitting, were all shattered, according to court documents.
Little more than 90 minutes after the shooting, firefighters in Temple Hills, Maryland were called to the 3900 block of 25th Avenue in Hillcrest Heights. When crews arrived, they found a car engulfed in flames.
Court documents claim that the burned car was a black Audi Q7 that had been carjacked on April 24 and matched the car used in the shooting that killed Arianna.
Detectives say the owners of the Audi reported the car stolen after they parked outside a hotel entrance on N Street. While waiting for valet service, the driver had gotten out of the car to get their toddler out of their car seat when they heard "B****, give me the keys." The victim reportedly asked to get their child before handing over the keys, which the suspect allowed them to do before driving off in their Audi.
Detectives obtained surveillance video from several areas where the car was found. In a summary of the videos in court documents, officials say two suspects can be seen getting out of the car just after 10:30 p.m.
One suspect can reportedly be seen grabbing a gas can and dousing the SUV's exterior and front driver seat before running away. The second suspect then walks toward the car and ignites the fire, leaving the stolen car to be engulfed in flames.
Video with audio recorded a man saying "hurry up" and "this way" as the suspects ran.
When investigators searched the burned car, they reportedly found a rifle round cartridge casing which was later examined by ATF and linked to a casing from the murder scene.
Who is Ran Ran?
In court documents, officials say they spoke with a paid confidential source who has provided information on numerous cases in the past and knows a lot about the Congress Park community.
The source, who reportedly has numerous arrests and convictions, was paid for the meeting and shown a 14-second video showing two suspects without the context of the case.
The source immediately identified one of the suspects by first name and said they were aware that the suspect had been arrested and shared a news article on the internet of the arrest. In a later interview, the source confirmed they had known the suspect for more than 10 years.
The source also identified the second suspect as 'Ran Ran,' a nickname, but claimed to not know their real name.
Police later learned of an Instagram page of 'yungrichh3,' which reportedly belonged to Ran Ran and featured a group picture with Ran Ran and the second suspect together.
The public page included a link to a rap video on YouTube featuring Ran Ran and several associates, who appear to be armed.
In the video, Ran Ran references a gray backpack, which matches a gray backpack seen being worn by the two suspects in surveillance footage.
"You pull on my rep and I pull out the book bag," Ran Ran says in the video, according to court documents.
At the end of the video, officials say one of the other people in the video says something to the effect of "keep dissin' me and my man Four, on Woosie, we really come up there, drop sixty or more every time."
Court documents then go on to detail the death of 17-year-old Dawaun Simmons, also known as Woosie, in Northeast on May 11, 2020. An Instagram post on the yungrichh3 account from days before the teen's death shows Ran Ran standing next to a person believed to be Simmons.
Investigators uploaded photos from the Instagram account to a face recognition system, which identified the suspect as 19-year-old Koran Gregory.
Search Warrant and Arrest
On Sept. 18, more than five months after Arianna was shot, police executed a search warrant at Gregory's Southeast apartment. During the search, officers say they found numerous firearms on top of and under beds, inside duffle bags and backpacks, as well as extended magazines, a "giggle switch," which converts a handgun from semi to fully automatic, a laser sight, and a box of latex gloves.
None of the guns found in the apartment were registered to Gregory, in fact, a Wales/NCIC query revealed that no firearms were registered to that address at all, according to the court documents.
Additionally, investigators reportedly found Maryland tags that belonged to a vehicle taken during an armed carjacking in Prince George's County in February 2022.
Gregory was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.
In an interview with investigators, Gregory denied any involvement with the shooting that killed Arianna, saying he went out with his mother that evening. He was unsure of the exact time but said it was no longer light outside, according to court documents. He also denied having any nickname and specifically denied having the nickname 'Ran Ran.'
The Search Continues
Gregory made his first court appearance Tuesday, and a judge ordered him held without bond. He is due back in court on Sept. 28.
While Gregory remains in custody, officers continue to search for more suspects. Police are still offering a $45,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Arianna's death.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.