Karon Blake shooting: Suspect in death of 13-year-old boy is a DC government employee
Rachel Schilke
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A suspect in the killing of 13-year-old Karon Blake is a Washington, D.C., government employee, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday.
Blake was shot multiple times in northeast D.C. after a man allegedly saw him breaking into cars on the 1000 block of Quincy Street NE. The shooter called 911 after the shots were fired and performed CPR on Blake until police arrived. Blake was not armed, officers said.
Bowser announced that the shooter was a government employee at a press conference after many community members raised issues with the police not releasing the shooter’s identity.
While the shooter’s job within the government is unknown, Bowser emphasized that he is not involved with public safety.
KARON BLAKE SHOOTING: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SHOOTING OF A 13-YEAR-OLD DC RESIDENT
A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police Department told the Washington Examiner the police will not take special steps during the investigation based on the shooter’s employment. No charges have been filed against the shooter, and the name will only be released “when and if” charges are filed.
“I can tell you that the person is an African American person. I can tell you it is an adult, and I can tell you it is a male,” MPD Chief Robert Contee said on Tuesday.
The D.C. community has been vocal on social media and at community town halls over a perceived lack of transparency and accountability in the shooting of the 13-year-old.
Several expressed their frustration and anger toward police over the decision not to release the shooter’s name, stating that it would bring the community “peace.”
“This is a horrible situation,” Bowser said at Wednesday’s conference. “And we have a 13-year-old that died, and we have — we don’t have all the facts. And the people who are responsible for gathering the facts, making charging decisions, are doing it just as fast as possible.”
“That is the very uncomfortable place we’re at, but it’s also the necessary place to get to just decisions,” Bowser said.
The mayor said the U.S. attorney’s office will determine if the situation will go before a grand jury.
“They have to look at the set of facts and make the best decision, and the most important is that justice is served,” she said. “And unfortunately, that’s not always fast.”
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Blake’s grandfather said the shooter should be put in jail for the death of his grandson and that the incident should have never happened.
“You don’t need to shoot him. And then you shot more than once. That doesn’t make sense,” Blake’s grandfather said. “How are you going to shoot someone more than once? An unarmed, young black man, a child, and you shoot him three or four times. For what?”