Killing of Karon Blake

Last updated
Killing of Karon Blake
Karon Blake.jpeg
Location Brookland (Washington, D.C.)
DateJanuary 7, 2023
Between 3am and 4am
Weapon Gun
Deaths1
AccusedJason Michael Lewis

In the early morning of January 7, 2023, in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jason Lewis shot and killed 13-year-old Karon Blake. [1]

Contents

Lewis, a Black 41-year-old father of four and longtime DC Parks and Recreation employee, had stepped onto his patio to investigate a possible home invasion at around 3AM when he saw Blake and two others breaking into parked vehicles along his street. In the seconds following a brief confrontation with the group, Lewis opened fire, fatally wounding Blake.

After several weeks of investigation, Lewis was arrested and charged with murder in second degree while armed. [2] He has entered a plea of not guilty and was held in home confinement while awaiting trial in August 2024. [3] [4] He was convicted of manslaughter that month. [5]

Shooting

Official report

The shooting took place in the early morning around 3AM of Saturday, January 7, 2023, in the 1000 block of Quincy Street, Northeast, an area of the Brookland neighborhood. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) arrived on the scene at approximately 3:56 am. When police officers arrived, they found an older black male performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a juvenile black male, lying in the shrubbery between 1031 and 1033 Quincy Street, Northeast, suffering from gunshot wounds. [6] The older male would later be identified as a nearby homeowner, 41-year-old Jason Lewis of 1033 Quincy Street, Northeast, a government employee, and the younger as 13-year-old Karon Blake, a student at Brookland Middle School. Emergency medical services (EMS) transported Blake to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead at 4:39 am. [7] [1] [8] [9] [10]

Lewis' account

Lewis told authorities that he had woken in the night to noises outside his home and worried that someone might be trying to break into his home. He went downstairs to investigate the noise, taking his firearm, which he legally owned and was legally authorized to carry, with him. He opened his door to see several people dressed in black, whom he described as "youngsters," and yelled at them, asking them what they were doing after seeing them tampering with nearby vehicles. [1] One person, whom he identified as Blake, ran towards him as he stood in the courtyard of his home and he opened fire, shooting twice. Lewis' girlfriend called 9-1-1 while Lewis began administering CPR after Blake collapsed. [10] [11] [12] [1]

Video footage and additional information

A nearby camera captured much of the incident on video. Blake, along with two other juvenile males, arrived on the scene in a stolen Kia, which police referred to as a getaway vehicle, and began tampering with parked vehicles in the area. Lewis, armed, stepped onto his front patio and fired a shot at the parked car, which contained the other two juvenile males. Police said that when initially questioned, Lewis never mentioned firing at the car. After the Lewis' initial shot, Karon, the only male not in the car, began running in the direction of Lewis' home, though police said he never stepped onto Lewis' property. Lewis fired three shots. Blake can be heard saying "I'm only 12," and apologizing to Lewis for his actions. Police chief Robert Contee expressed sympathy for the other two males involved, who were seen on video fleeing the scene, who remain unidentified. [6] [10] [11]

Aftermath

On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, Blake's mother, Londen Blake, created a fundraiser on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to help cover the cost of Blake's funeral and burial expenses. [13] The fundraiser raised $35,879.

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is African American, told the press the party involved in the shooting was a government employee and that they'd been placed on administrative leave. Despite public outcry, Bowser declined to identify the party but did say that he was not a police officer when asked about his occupation. [14] [9] In response to demands from the public to identify the party, police chief Robert Contee, also African American, "We normally do not identify people in similar situations unless we have a warrant in hand for that person or unless there's a person who we are trying to identify... This is not what we're dealing with here." [14] Contee warned the public that there was a lot of misinformation about the shooting going around the community. [11] [15]

On Saturday, January 14, 2023, a vigil was held in Blake's honor. [9]

On Monday, January 23, 2023, a funeral service for Blake was held at Israel Baptist Church, located at 1251 Saratoga Avenue in Washington, D.C. News outlets reported hundreds of mourners, including local politicians and elected officials, were in attendance. [16]

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, U. S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced that a warrant had been issued for Jason Michael Lewis, a 41-year-old African American resident who'd been employed by the District of Columbia's Parks and Recreation Department for 18 years, in the death of Blake. [17] [10] Lewis had turned himself into the Metropolitan Police Department that day at 8:00 am and he appeared in court later that afternoon. [10] Lewis was charged with second-degree murder, a Class A felony in the District of Columbia, and ordered to be held without bond while he awaits his trial. [18] [2] Blake's family members were present for Lewis' arraignment and Stephanie Ramirez of Fox 5 News (WTTG) reported they were "quietly celebrating in the court room" after the judge ruled Lewis would be held without bond. [19] Lewis is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. [20] He entered a plea of not guilty. [10] The firearm involved in the shooting, described as Lewis' only firearm, was confiscated and authorities announced plans to revoke his CCW permit. [10]

On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, Londen Blake addressed the press for the first time since Lewis' arrest, saying that she hopes Lewis is convicted. [20]

On Thursday, March 9, 2023, Judge Anthony Epstein of the DC Superior Court ordered that Lewis be released while awaiting trial, saying there was insufficient evidence that he was a danger to the community. [21]

On Friday, January 12, 2024, Lewis' defense attorney, Edward Ungvarsky, was granted a continuance by Judge Epstein. The trial was rescheduled for Monday, August 5, 2024. Epstein also agreed to modify the conditions of Lewis' release, removing the home confinement requirement and setting a curfew of 10 p.m. to  6 a.m. The charges against Lewis are second-degree murder while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. [22]

Lewis was charged with murder in the second degree while armed (§ 22–2103). [23] Per the Code of the District of Columbia, individuals convicted of murder in the second degree may face life in prison and those convicted of murder in the second degree while armed receive a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison but only if certain circumstances apply to the situation. [24] [25] Murder in the second degree has the potential to be reduced to manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, in the absence of malice aforethought. [26] [27] While Lewis may argue he acted in self-defense, the District of Columbia does not have a stand-your-ground law and case law allows for a jury to consider an individual's failure to retreat when determining whether or not their use of force is justifiable. [28] [29]

See also

38°56′14″N76°59′29″W / 38.9371°N 76.9915°W / 38.9371; -76.9915

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia</span> Local law enforcement agency of Washington, D.C., United States

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known locally as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and, colloquially, DC Police, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,400 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 68 square miles (180 km2) and a population of over 700,000 people. Established on August 6, 1861, the MPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States. The MPD headquarters is at the Henry J. Daly Building, located on Indiana Avenue in Judiciary Square across the street from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The department's mission is to "safeguard the District of Columbia and protect its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life". The MPD's regulations are compiled in title 5, chapter 1 of the District of Columbia Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles H. Ramsey</span> American police chief

Charles H. Ramsey is the former Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department. Prior to assuming that post in January 2008, he had served as Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) from 1998 to early 2007. In January 2017, he became a regular CNN contributor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Eleanor Bumpurs</span> 1984 shooting death of an African-American woman by NYPD

On October 29, 1984, Eleanor Bumpurs was shot and killed by the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The police were present to enforce a city-ordered eviction of Bumpurs, an elderly and disabled African American woman, from her New York Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing unit at 1551 University Avenue in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Robert Eric Wone</span> Unsolved 2006 murder in the United States

Robert Eric Wone was an American lawyer who was murdered in the Washington, D.C. home of a college friend, Joseph Price, in August 2006. Wone was living in suburban Oakton, Virginia, but had been working as general counsel at Radio Free Asia in downtown Washington. He had stayed the night at the home of friends located about one mile from his office. According to police affidavits, Wone was believed to have been "restrained, incapacitated, and sexually assaulted" before his death. The residents of the home – Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward – contended that the murder was committed by an intruder unknown to them; the trial judge found this unbelievable. Wone's official cause of death was attributed to knife wounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeway Phantom</span> Unidentified serial killer in the US

The Freeway Phantom is the pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who murdered five girls and a woman in Washington, D.C., between April 1971 and September 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia</span>

The Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, generally simply referred to as the Chief of Police, is the head of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. The current acting Chief of Police is Pamela A. Smith, who succeeded interim chief, Ashan Benedict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Crump</span> American lawyer (born 1969)

Benjamin Lloyd Crump is an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has focused on cases such as those of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Keenan Anderson, Randy Cox, and Tyre Nichols, people affected by the Flint water crisis, the estate of Henrietta Lacks, and the plaintiffs behind the 2019 Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit alleging the company's talcum powder product led to ovarian cancer diagnoses. Crump is also founder of the firm Ben Crump Law of Tallahassee, Florida.

Rekia Boyd was a 22-year-old Black American woman who was fatally shot in Chicago, Illinois by Dante Servin, an off-duty Hispanic Chicago police detective, on March 21, 2012.

John Geer was killed on August 29, 2013, in the Pohick Hills neighborhood of Springfield, Virginia. Geer was fatally shot by Fairfax County Police Department officer Adam Torres, after a 42-minute standoff. Geer was unarmed with his hands raised above his shoulders, but a holstered gun was reportedly on the floor away from his body, as he was standing inside his Springfield townhouse. Geer's daughters filed a lawsuit that was settled in 2015 for $2.95 million. Torres was charged with second degree murder on August 27, 2015, and on June 25, 2016, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to one-year imprisonment, including time served. Torres was released on June 29, 2016, just 5 days after he was convicted.

The killing of William L. Chapman II, a black 18-year-old, occurred on April 22, 2015, in Portsmouth, Virginia, when Chapman was shot and killed in a Wal-Mart parking lot by Portsmouth Police Officer Stephen D. Rankin. Rankin had been responding to a report of suspected shoplifting and engaged in a physical struggle with Chapman, who instigated the altercation while trying to arrest him. The shooting occurred approximately four years after the killing of Kirill Denyakin, who died after being shot by Rankin in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shooting of Daniel Shaver</span> 2016 police shooting of a man in Mesa, Arizona

On January 18, 2016, Daniel Leetin Shaver of Granbury, Texas, was fatally shot by police officer Philip Brailsford in the hallway of a La Quinta Inn & Suites hotel in Mesa, Arizona. Police were responding to a report that a rifle had been pointed out of the window of Shaver's hotel room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Atatiana Jefferson</span> 2019 police manslaughter of a woman in Fort Worth, Texas

Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot inside her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019. Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open. Police body camera footage showed officers walking outside the home with flashlights for a few minutes then one officer yells, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!", while discharging his weapon through a window. Police found a handgun near Jefferson's body, which according to her eight-year-old nephew, she was pointing toward the window before being shot. On October 14, 2019, Officer Aaron Dean, the shooter, resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge. On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder. Jefferson was black and the officer who shot her is white, prompting news outlets to compare Jefferson's shooting to the September 2018 murder of Botham Jean in nearby Dallas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of James Scurlock</span> Shooting in Omaha, Nebraska in 2020

On May 30, 2020, James Scurlock, a 22-year-old black male protester, was fatally shot by a 38-year-old bar owner, Jacob "Jake" Gardner. The shooting took place during George Floyd protests in Omaha, Nebraska, in the Old Market area of the city. Scurlock had been among the thousands of protesters who flooded the city's downtown area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Cannon Hinnant</span> 2020 child murder in Wilson, North Carolina, US

Cannon Blake Hinnant was a five-year-old American boy from Wilson, North Carolina who was shot and killed on August 9, 2020, while playing in his neighbor's yard. Hinnant's neighbor, Darius Sessoms, was arrested for the shooting within 24 hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Contee</span> American police officer

Robert J. Contee III is the former Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., United States. He was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser as acting chief effective January 2, 2021, and was confirmed unanimously by the DC Council on May 4, replacing Peter Newsham. He retired from the Metropolitan Police Department on May 31, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Drenon, Brandon (2023-01-11). "Outrage after Washington DC homeowner fatally shoots boy, 13". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  2. 1 2 Ryals, Mitch (2023-01-31). "DPR Employee Who Shot Karon Blake Turns Himself In - WCP". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  3. ↑ "D.C. Department Of Parks And Recreation Employee Charged With Second Degree Murder In Death Of Karon Blake". DCist. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  4. ↑ "Judge orders D.C. worker who fatally shot teen released pending trial". Washington Post.
  5. ↑ "Former DC employee convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of 13-year-old boy". The Associated Press. August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Videos". FOX 5 DC. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  7. ↑ "Homicide: 1000 Block of Quincy Street, Northeast | mpdc". mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. ↑ Helsel, Phil (11 Jan 2023). "Man who shot Karon Blake is a Washington, D.C., employee, mayor says". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  9. 1 2 3 Cho, Aimee; Reporter • •, News4 (15 January 2023). "'The Nicest Boy in My Class': Community Holds Vigil For Karon Blake, 13-Year-Old Fatally Shot in DC". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 2023-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cremen, Alanea (January 31, 2023). "'I am only 12' | Warrant gives new details into shooting death of Karon Blake". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  11. 1 2 3 Lenthang, Marlene (11 January 2023). "Outrage mounts in D.C. after man fatally shoots boy, 13, he suspected was breaking into cars". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  12. ↑ Hauser, Christine (2023-01-11). "D.C. Residents Demand Answers After Teenager Is Fatally Shot" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  13. ↑ DeVoe, Annie (2023-01-11). "Thousands Raised For Karon Blake's Family After 'Quiet' Middle Schooler Tragically Killed". Washington Daily Voice. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  14. 1 2 Wagner, Paul; Cook, Gina; Segraves, Mark (January 11, 2023). "Man Who Shot, Killed 13-Year-Old Karon Blake Is DC Government Employee: Mayor". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  15. ↑ Laughland, Oliver (2023-01-11). "Karon Blake: outrage in Washington DC after Black teen, 13, shot dead". the Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  16. ↑ Goncalves, Delia (January 23, 2023). "'They can't blame the mother, she loved her son' | Karon Blake laid to rest 2 weeks after he was shot and killed". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  17. ↑ "District Man Arrested for the January 7, 2023, homicide of 13-year-old K.B." www.justice.gov. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  18. ↑ "D.C. Department Of Parks And Recreation Employee Charged With Second Degree Murder In Death Of Karon Blake". DCist. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  19. ↑ DC employee who shot 13-year-old charged with second-degree murder | FOX 5 DC, 31 January 2023, retrieved 2023-02-01
  20. 1 2 "WATCH: Mother of slain DC 13-year-old Karon Blake to address media for the first time". WJLA. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  21. ↑ "Jason Lewis ordered released ahead of Karon Blake trial". wusa9.com. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  22. ↑ Febles, Mia (2024-01-12). "Homicide Defendant's Release Conditions Modified". D.C. Witness. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  23. ↑ "Chapter 21. Murder; Manslaughter. | D.C. Law Library". code.dccouncil.us. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  24. ↑ "District of Columbia Second Degree Murder Law". Findlaw. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  25. ↑ "§ 24-403.01. Sentencing, supervised release, and good time credit for felonies committed on or after August 5, 2000". dccode.elaws.us. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  26. ↑ "District of Columbia Voluntary Manslaughter Law". Findlaw. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  27. ↑ "DC Homicide Lawyer | Murder Charges | David Benowitz". DC Criminal Lawyer. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  28. ↑ Gillis v. United States, 400 A.2d 311 (D.C. 1979);  Broadie v. United States, 925 A.2d 605 (D.C. 2007); Dawkins v. United States, 189 A.3d 223 (D.C. 2018).
  29. ↑ Criminal Jury Instructions for DC Copyright 2014, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., a member of the LexisNexis Group.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.