Boy, 13, shot dead by homeowner in Washington DC after he was 'seen breaking ... trends now
A 13-year-old boy in Washington DC was shot and killed by a homeowner who claimed he was breaking into cars. The community is demanding the shooter's identity be revealed.
Karon Blake was fatally shot with a legally registered firearm on Quincy Street around 4am on January 7 by an unidentified homeowner who heard noises outside of his home and thought someone was 'tampering with a vehicle,' DC Police reported.
The teenager and the man reportedly got into a confrontation before the shooting occurred, and after shooting him, the homeowner did perform CPR.
Blake, who was found by police with multiple gunshot wounds and is believed to have been unarmed, was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Two other youths are suspected of fleeing the scene after the homeowner approached them.
Police also said they found a stolen car in the area and believed the Brookland Middle Schooler had used it, according to NBC Washington.
Karon Blake, 13, of Washington DC, was fatally shot by an unidentified homeowner on January 7. Blake and the man reportedly got into a confrontation before Blake was shot multiple times.
Despite the tragedy, the boy's school is remembering him as a smart and inquisitive young student who was oftentimes found with a book tucked under his arm
Now, the local community is demanding the homeowner's identity be released and that he be charged with murder.
DC Police have said they are talking to the US Attorney's Office to decide if charges should be fired. Identities are typically not released until charges are filed, but the community members are demanding a name now.
'Vigilante behavior is not the way to go about it,' Frankie Seabron, a member of the DC Safety Squad - an activist group - said. 'We really should value people more than we value property.'
DC Safety Squad Nee Nee Taylor told the Washington Post: 'We cannot normalize people feeling that bringing a gun to a car break-in or a carjack, or anything involved in property, is a solution to decrease crime.'
Councilman Zachary Parker, of Ward 5, agreed, writing in a statement: 'No car or material possession is worth a life - under any circumstances. I join Ward 5 residents in calling on the Metropolitan Police Department and the US Attorney's Office to hold accountable the individual who took Karon's life.
The Metropolitan Police Department and the US Attorney's Office are discussing whether or not charges should be filed
