Members of a Northeast D.C. community are still demanding the name of a man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy accused of breaking into cars. Mayor Muriel Bowser revealed Wednesday that the man works for the D.C. government.
Bowser weighed in after meeting with school officials about the safety of students on school campuses across the city. Karon Blake was not shot at a school or on his way to or from school, but the overwhelming calls for action following the teenager’s killing became a part of the conversation.
“It’s a horrible situation. We have a 13-year-old that died, and we don’t have all of the facts,” Bowser said.
The mayor said she relates to residents of the Brookland neighborhood, who are clamoring for more details in the Saturday shooting, specifically for the shooter’s identity to be released.
However, she said she supports police chief Robert Contee’s call for the public to have patience as his investigators work to gather facts and as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. determines whether to file charges against the shooter.
“That is the very uncomfortable place we’re at, but it is also the necessary place to get to just decisions … Unfortunately that’s not always fast,” Bowser said.
She shared that the man who told police he shot Blake multiple times is a longtime D.C. government employee who does not work in public safety. She would not share the agency he works for but said he is on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.
Investigators have said when they arrived on Quincy Street Northeast in the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 7, the shooter was performing CPR on Blake. According to police, the man confronted the teen after allegedly witnessing him break into a car.
On Tuesday, Contee said the man has a concealed carry permit and registered his weapon with the city. Contee added that he had no plans at this point to revoke those licenses, which are approved by D.C. police.
