Charging documents reveal heartbreaking new details from police about the murder of a 10-year-old girl who died after a bullet flew through her family's car in Northeast D.C. on Mother's Day.
D.C. police arrested 19-year-old Karon Gregory, of Southeast, on Monday and charged him with first-degree murder while armed, authorities announced Monday afternoon.
Arianna Davis died three days after she was shot on Sunday, May 14.
Arianna's family had celebrated Mother’s Day and was in the 3700 block of Hayes Street NE, west of DC-295, when a barrage of gunshots were fired, police said. Witnesses said they heard more than 50 shots.
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The car Arianna was riding in was directly behind the suspect vehicle when the family saw multiple people get out of the car and begin shooting, police said.
Arianna's family believes their car was struck by other people returning fire, police said.
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Police said the family was not the intended target of the shooting and that they were innocent victims.
A witness in the victims' car told investigators they weren't aware Arianna was injured until a younger child in the car said, "Ari, don't die."
When the family realized the child had been shot in the upper body, they rushed to a firehouse. She was then rushed to a hospital.
Police believe Gregory and others torched a black Audi Q7 that they say was involved in the shooting just hours afterward, according to charging documents. It was found engulfed in flames in Hillcrest Heights.
D.C. police said people in the community helped them tie Gregory to the case. Investigators say photos posted to an Instagram account that Gregory used to post rap videos helped identify him as a suspect, according to charging documents.
Police said they found Gregory in an apartment in Southeast with six weapons, including two ghost guns. A weapon seized during the arrest was directly linked to the scene of the shooting.
Investigators are still searching for more suspects who were involved in the shooting and urged anyone who knows anything to come forward.
D.C. police are offering a reward of $45,000 for information leading to an additional arrest. Nearly half of that amount was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and FBI's Washington Field Office.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be texted to the department at 50411.
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