WASHINGTON — A medical examiner found 13 children in the District died by homicide. And a newly released D.C. police report found 13 juveniles were also arrested for murder in 2018.
It has been a deadly year in the District and as it comes to a close, the violence has not slowed.
On Dec.13, Gerald Watson was gunned down in his apartment complex stairwell. The Anacostia High School freshman was shot 17 times, according to a D.C. police source. He was only 15 years old.
“Too many young people in our community, particularly our boys, are getting caught in a very scary and dangerous cycle of violence fueled by illegal firearms,” Bowser said during a joint news conference with D.C. police Chief Peter Newsham.
In an effort to protect children falling victim to gun violence, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appealed to the adults in their life asking that they call police and report if kids have illegal firearms.
“We need to get to that person before they use that firearm to end someone’s life and effectively their own,” she said.
The number of juveniles arrested in 2018 for the offense is far higher than previous years. In 2016, the report shows six juveniles were arrested on charges of murder and five were arrested for the offense in 2017.
D.C. has marked 158 homicides so far in 2018, a 44 percent increase over last year.
