A 28-year-old D.C. man was sentenced to 67 years in prison on charges stemming from a Memorial Day shooting that killed one 15-year-old boy and injured another.
Prosecutors say Eugene A. Kelly shot the two boys at random because he was angered about his own brother's unsolved murder.
Kelly has been in jail since his arrest more than two years ago. He was found guilty in April of of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related offenses.
Prosecutors say Kelly shot the boys as they were walking home around 10:15 p.m. on May 30, 2011 in the 1400 block of New Jersey Avenue NW.
Isaiah Harris was killed by a single gunshot wound. The other boy, who survived, was shot in the leg.
Kelly didn't know the boys, but may have been angered about his own brother's unsolved 2008 killing, authorities said. Shortly before the shooting, Kelly told an acquaintance that he believed that someone from the nearby 5th and O Streets neighborhood was responsible for his brother’s murder, and said that he was going to take revenge, authorities said.
He was arrested and charged two days later.
“This case is a tragic reminder of the senseless cycle of violence that is far too common in our city,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen in a statement. “In a foolish attempt to avenge his brother’s murder, Eugene Kelly shot two innocent 15-year-old boys, killing one of them. Kelly’s inexplicable decision to kill a child did nothing to bring back his brother or to honor his brother’s memory. "
