WASHINGTON — While playing on a playground last fall, Jaydan Stancil’s childhood took a dramatic turn.
A stray bullet into the apartment complex in Northeast D.C. struck his head and nearly killed him.
But more than six months on, no one has been arrested.
The family on Tuesday announced a lawsuit and called for a renewed effort to find the shooter.
“I would hate to see another family go through what I’ve been through with Jaydan,” says Monique Nichols, his mother.
The multi-million dollar lawsuit targets the owners of Mayfair Mansions, the property management company and the security company at the complex.
It claims security gaps made the shooting possible.
The family also claims the District’s crime lab failed to process the scene after the shooting Oct. 3. According to the family, ballistics tests aren’t finished.
“The delays that are occurring in the forensics lab and the ballistics lab are inexcusable,” says David Haynes of the Cochran Firm.
The Department of Forensic Sciences says in a statement:
“Firearms testing in this case has been conducted at DFS, and the firearms examiner has been in contact with MPD. Evidence also has been uploaded into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which is a database that allows law enforcement to identify links between firearm-related incidents. Based on DFS test results in this case, additional evidence has been submitted for testing.”
Meanwhile, Stancil has defied expectations and has re-learned to walk.
“He doing much better today, considering he was only given 35 minutes to live,” Nichols says.
Here’s video of Jaydan from December:
