DC Teen Charged With Murder of 15-Year-Old Gerald Watson

The person who shot and killed a teenage boy in Southeast D.C. last week is another teen boy, police said.

A 16-year-old has been charged in the shooting death of 15-year-old Gerald Watson, D.C. police chief Peter Newsham announced at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Malik Holston of Southeast, D.C., was charged with first-degree murder while armed.

The case remains under investigation, and at least one other suspect is still sought.

Juveniles Shot in DC in 2018

The victims include a 10-year-old girl who was killed and a 3-year-old boy who was hurt.

Source: NBC Washington reporting and Metropolitan Police Department press releases. NBC Washington submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for police data on all shootings of juveniles in 2018 thus far. The request is pending.
Note: Dates listed are the dates of the shootings, not, when applicable, the deaths of the victims. Map includes victims age 17 and younger.

The police chief characterized the killing as "one of these senseless disputes between two neighborhood groups."

Watson is believed to have been the shooter's intended target.

Watson, a ninth-grader at Anacostia High School, was chased and shot in Southeast D.C. on Thursday.

About 3:30 p.m. Thursday two suspects wearing masks chased the teen into a stairwell at the Langston Lane Apartments on Knox Place SE and shot him multiple times, police said. Watson lived there.

The teen was conscious and breathing when he was rushed to a hospital with grave injuries. He died a short time later.

Residents told News4 they heard as many as 16 shots.

"Who's going to shoot a kid? This is the holiday season. You know, it's supposed to be a celebratory time, and we're out here with a young kid and a family that's devastated," Newsham said after the crime.