U.S. Marshals have caught up with one of their Top 15 fugitives — a D.C. man accused of killing a man by firing into a crowd at a gender-reveal party last year.
A tip came into the Capital Area Task Force, leading the marshals to flag their counterparts in West Palm Beach, Florida. Those marshals found and arrested Nyjell Outler in an apartment there at 1 p.m., according to Dave Omui with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Outler is accused of killing Demetrius Johnson, 21, and injuring another man when he allegedly shot indiscriminately into a crowd at a gender-reveal party in Northeast D.C. in March 2021.
“I am grateful for the collaborative investigative efforts between MPD members and our federal partners at the USMS that led to the apprehension of Outler, holding him accountable for his reckless actions,” said D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee. “Thank you to our community, near and far, that led us to his whereabouts and ultimately aided in bringing long sought-after justice to the victims’ families.”
Outler is a known gang member and was wearing an ankle monitor on pretrial release for a separate weapons charge when the shooting happened. He cut his monitor off after the shooting at the party, a police source said.
The USMS added Outler to its 15 most wanted list last month, and a $50,000 reward for tips leading to his conviction was offered to the public at that time.
Marshals will transfer Outler to D.C,. where he’ll have a preliminary hearing on the charges he faces, including second-degree murder while armed.
