WASHINGTON — A D.C. government employee is now on administrative leave after he allegedly shot and killed a 13-year-old boy, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
The incident happened just before 4 a.m. on Jan. 7. Police responded to Quincy Street Northeast, off of Michigan Avenue Northeast, after a report of a shooting in the area. At the scene, a boy, later identified as Karon Blake, of Northeast, D.C., was found shot and suffering from injuries.
Through an investigation, it was determined that a man inside a home on Quincy Street heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with cars. The man went outside, armed with a registered gun, to further investigate.
After an interaction between the pair, the man shot Blake. When officers arrived they found the man giving Blake CPR. The 13-year-old would later be pronounced dead at an area hospital.
On Wednesday, the mayor, standing side-by-side with representatives from her public safety and education team, wrapped up a city-wide conversation about safety at D.C. schools. Along with the issues brought up, such as the need of school resource officers, she commented to Blake's death.
Mayor Bowser said that the investigation into his death is being handled as quickly as possible. She also said she understands the frustration surrounding the death of the young boy, but that these matters cannot be rushed.
She closed the topic of conversation by revealing that the person that shot Blake is a D.C. government employee. The mayor did not confirm which agency the employee worked for, but said he did not work in public safety. She said the employee is now on administrative leave, but did not identify the man further, as she believed it could interfere with the investigation into the shooting.
On Tuesday, DC Police Chief Robert Contee III held a press conference to clear up what he called misinformation being spread about the case.
"There's been too much misinformation swirling around this incident, too many people have made assumptions about this case and it is unfair to the grieving family," Contee said. "Spreading of inaccurate information is dangerous, reckless and has the potential to adversely impact the investigation and the relationships in our community."
Contee added that MPD is aware of images on social media showing people that have no connection to the case. He said people are sharing pictures of innocent people claiming the people in the pictures are the ones responsible for Karon's death.
"That's reckless and that's dangerous," Contee said. "Imagine if it was your picture beside his and people showed up at your house with half information. That's unacceptable. Let the police do the police job."
The police chief also declined to identify the shooter, but confirmed that he was not a law enforcement official.