WASHINGTON — An arrest has been made in a 2014 shooting that nearly killed a boy in Northeast D.C.
It was back on Oct. 3, 2014 that Jaydan Stancil, 9, was in a nearby parking lot when he was struck in the head by a bullet during a gunfight on a playground at the Mayfair Mansions Apartments.
Two men also suffered gunshot wounds. Police say the boy was not the intended target.
“An innocent victim, caught in the crossfire of another dispute,” said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
Lanier announced Friday that 27-year-old Kenneth Parker, of Southeast D.C., was taken into custody after being indicted in the shooting. Parker was picked up from the D.C. jail where he was being held on unrelated criminal charges, according to Lanier.
Parker faces 14 counts, including assault with intent to kill.
“We had to get physical evidence and ballistic evidence, and all those other things together to bring this case to where we are today,” Lanier said.
At the time of the shooting, three D.C. police officers rushed Stancil to the hospital in a police car. Lanier said it was the actions of her officers that saved the boy’s life.
Stancil was hospitalized for three months after the shooting.
Lanier said when notified of the arrest, the boy’s mother demanded that all those involved in the shooting be brought in. Lanier agreed and said the investigation won’t stop with Parker’s arrest.
Now 10 years old, Stancil has made a miraculous recovery but still receives medical treatment for the injury.
A reminder of the shooting remains with the Stancil since doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his head.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
