D.C. Government Official Arrested For Fatally Shooting 13-Year-Old Karon Blake

A government official has been charged in the shooting death of 13-year-old Karon Blake, which has rocked a Washington, D.C. neighborhood.

Jason Lewis, a longtime city Parks and Recreation Department employee, has been charged with second-degree murder while armed and turned himself in on Tuesday morning. The unfortunate incident took place in the early morning hours of January 7th. Around 4:00 a.m., Lewis was in bed when he heard a noise and grabbed his firearm, thinking a stranger was at his door. While standing in his entryway, he saw a vehicle parked in front of his home and shouted, “Hey. What are y’all doing?” Police believe he fired a shot toward the car, prompting Blake to flee, seemingly toward the vehicle. However, the car reversed into an alley, prompting Blake to run toward Lewis. That is when the 41-year-old fired two more shots toward Blake, striking him.

However, according to Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee, it remains to be seen if Blake knew where Lewis was standing. “It’s 4 o’clock in the morning; it’s dark out there,” Contee said, according to NBC Washington.

Blake was heard on video pleading for his life before succumbing to his injuries, screaming, “Please don’t,” “I am a kid,” and “I am only 12.” Before the shooting, the middle schooler was among a group of teenagers who were breaking into vehicles in Lewis’s neighborhood hours before the shooting. While Lewis wasn’t aware of the burglaries, it is believed that he felt Blake was trying to harm him when he ran toward him. However, police believe his firing the first warning shot kicked off the lethal series of events.

“I think the biggest grievance is that the first shot that was fired was actually fired at someone who was sitting in a vehicle who was not an immediate threat to the person who fired the shot,” stated Metropolitan Police Department chief Robert Contee on Tuesday.

Attorneys representing Lewis are confident that he will be found not guilty once a jury hears the circumstances. However, during Lewis’ initial court appearance, the judge said Lewis appeared to be the aggressor, the publication reports.