There is growing anger over the fatal shooting over the weekend of 13-year-old Karon Blake in the nation’s capital. DC police say he was killed by a homeowner who says he thought the boy was breaking into cars.
The grandfather of a 13-year-old middle school student shot and killed by a man suspected of breaking into cars in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood called for the shooter’s arrest and conviction on Wednesday, saying his grandson “didn’t get a chance to grow up.”
“He’s too young — he’s only 13 years old.” “According to Sean Long of NBC News. “That’s what gets to me, he’s a baby.”
Karon Blake, Long’s grandson, was killed Saturday by a man who “heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles” in his Northeast Washington neighborhood, according to Metropolitan Police.
The shooting sparked outrage from local community groups and others, who criticized the use of lethal force in response to an alleged property crime and demanded that the shooter’s name and any visual evidence be released.
“He didn’t get a chance to grow up,” Long said of his grandson, whom he described as a “nice, friendly little guy who liked to have fun” and “loved going to school.”
According to authorities, the man who shot Karon called the police after the incident. When officers arrived, he was performing CPR and giving officers an account of what had occurred, according to police.
Karon was taken to a hospital and died despite efforts to save his life, according to officials. The shooter has not been identified or apprehended. According to Police Chief Robert J. Contee III, the man, who is Black, has retained legal counsel.
Long chastised authorities, claiming that the man who shot his grandson “should have been charged right there, on the first day.”
“He’s just gone, and it’s like the system isn’t doing its job,” Long said of his grandson, adding that he wants Karon to receive justice.
Contee stated that detectives are gathering information and will present the case to the United States Attorney’s Office for possible charges.
“A grand jury will decide whether or not a crime occurred based on facts, not mere speculation,” Contee said.
Long said that even if the man suspected Karon was tampering with cars that day, he should have called the police or confronted the boy without resorting to lethal force.
Karon attended Brookland Middle School.
Kerry Richardson, the school’s principal, described him as a “quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football” in a note to the school’s staff obtained by NBC Washington.
“Although he adored his neighborhood, he adored Brookland MS (the faculty and his peers) and the structure it provided him with even more,” Richardson wrote.
His mother and three younger siblings survive him, according to Richardson.
Long praised Karon’s mother, who has been devastated by her son’s death but is also working hard to plan his funeral.
“She just wants the burial, funeral, and everything to go smoothly,” he explained.
