WASHINGTON — A 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck as he and the teen charged in his death took swings at each other at the Deanwood Metro Station Monday, court documents say.
Jovante Hall, 18, of Northeast, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for the death of John R. Evans III.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the two teens “engaged in a verbal altercation stemming from social media” while they were riding the same Metro train after both had spent the morning at D.C. Superior Court. The two teens each threatened to hurt the other.
After exiting the train, Evans approached Hall and punched the older teen. Hall, who was carrying a knife, appeared to hit Evans back, according to witnesses. But investigators say that Hall didn’t punch Evans, but stabbed him in the neck.
Clutching at his neck, Evans was bleeding profusely and collapsed near the elevator outside the turnstiles, court documents say.
Evans was taken to the hospital where he was soon pronounced dead.
Hall was arrested about 10 hours after the stabbing with the help of numerous tips from callers, text messages and even social media posts identifying Hall as the teen seen in surveillance footage taken from the Metro station. Several witnesses interviewed by police also helped investigators identify Hall as Evans’ attacker.
Police said previously that Hall and Evans knew each other and had a long-running dispute. They said that the fatal confrontation was a “chance encounter.”
