D.C. man fatally shoots 13-year-old boy he allegedly believed was breaking into cars

WASHINGTON (TCD) -- The Metropolitan D.C. Police chief is calling on the public to stop spreading "reckless" and "dangerous" misinformation after a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot over the weekend.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, at approximately 3:56 a.m., officers from the Fifth District responded to the 1000 block of Quincy Street Northeast for a report of a juvenile shot and found a teenage boy suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The fire department and paramedics arrived at the scene, then transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

D.C. Police identified the victim as 13-year-old Karon Blake.

According to police, a man inside a home near where the boy was shot reportedly "heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles." The homeowner went outside with his registered firearm to "further investigate."

Blake and the homeowner allegedly had an "interaction" that resulted in the adult man firing his gun and striking Blake.

In a press conference Tuesday, Jan. 10, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III urged the public, especially people on social media, to stop making conjectures and spreading theories online.

Contee said, "Spreading of inaccurate information is dangerous, reckless, and has the potential to adversely impact the investigation and the relationships in our community."

Contee raised the issue repeatedly throughout the press conference that social media users were posting photos of innocent people not involved in the shooting and also "making allegations about race, and that is wrong."

The police chief did not name the man who reportedly shot Blake, but said he is an adult Black male who is not in law enforcement.

In her own press conference Wednesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the man is a D.C. government employee. Bowser did not reveal which agency he worked for, but added he was on administrative leave. She also said he did not work in public safety.

NBC Washington reports Blake attended Brookland Middle School.

Principal Kerry Richardson told the station Blake "was a quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football."

Richardson said the teen adored his school and the "structure it presented to him."

The alleged shooter has reportedly not been arrested yet, and, according to Contee, has retained legal counsel.

MORE:

• Homicide: 1000 Block of Quincy Street, Northeast - Metropolitan D.C. Police Department
• Shooting of 13-year-old Karon Blake not 'centered around race' says DC police - WTTG
• DC Police Chief: Misinformation Swirling in Killing of 13-Year-Old Karon Blake Is 'Reckless' - NBC Washington
• LIVE: Mayor Bowser Holds Media Availability - Mayor Muriel Bowser