A Washington, D.C., government employee turned himself in to the police to face a charge of second-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting death of a 13-year-old, Karon Blake, reports the New York Times. Police Chief Robert Contee said Jason Lewis, 41, was taken into custody after an investigation into the Jan. 7 shooting. An arrest affidavit said that Lewis, an employee of the Department of Parks and Recreation, emerged from his residence in the Brookland neighborhood just before 4 a.m. after he heard noises and was afraid someone was trying to get into his home. Lewis saw a group of young people with flashlights who apparently were trying to break into cars outside his home, and shouted, “Hey, what are y’all doing?”
Contee said that Lewis, who has a license to carry a concealed weapon and owns a registered firearm, fired at an apparent getaway vehicle. Footage from a surveillance camera on Lewis’s property showed Karon running as Lewis continued firing. The teenager can be heard yelling, “I am sorry, please don’t,” “No” and “I am only 12.” Lewis told investigators that after he fired his weapon, Karon yelled, “I’m a kid, I’m a kid,” and then collapsed, the affidavit said. Lewis told the police that he was on his property when Karon ran toward him and reached his gate. One witness said a shot was fired after the teenager “charged” at Lewis, and another shot was fired after he continued running at Lewis. Contee said Karon might have been trying to get to the getaway vehicle and did not know Lewis was standing there. His death was “something that pierces my soul,” the chief said. Lewis’s lawyer, Lee Smith, said Lewis was “distraught” and “maintains his innocence.” “While this is certainly a tragedy, once all the facts are heard, I believe that a jury will find that there was no crime here,” Smith said.
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