Police have made an arrest in the death of an aspiring social worker who was killed by a stray bullet as he drove down a busy road in Washington, D.C.
Roger Marmet was driving home from his position at the nonprofit SOME (So Others Might Eat) on Oct. 24 when shots rang out. One bullet hit him, and he was killed.
Barry Marable, 22, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder while armed in Marmet's death, police announced at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Marmet's father, Roger Marmet, gave the following statement to News4 after the arrest:
"It's surreal to have a name and face attached to the killing but we are really grateful for the hard work by the detectives. Long road ahead in trying to make changes in DC to make it safer for people driving across the city and improving conditions for people in all corners of town. This is a rough road but we do want to be involved in being a positive force going forward."
During the news conference, police also announced an arrest in the 2016 death of a woman who was also killed by a stray bullet while waiting at a bus stop in Southeast Washington.
Marmet was found shot inside his Jeep Liberty on the 1200 block of 17th Street NE, just east of busy Bladensburg Road NE. He had been stopped at a traffic light when he was shot, police say.
Responding officers laid him on the ground and tried to save him, but he was later pronounced dead.
Marmet, who was known as Tom among his friends, grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and attended the D.C. prep school the Maret School. He graduated from the University of Vermont in May.
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"He was one of those students who you knew from the get-go had an incredible generosity of spirit," the head of the Maret School, Marjo Talbott, told News4.
He played football and lacrosse for the school, and devoted time to helping others.
"He always did community service, and that's what he was doing at the time of his death," Talbott said.
Marmet was "an innocent, just driving down the street through the city," his father said a short time after his death.
"My wife and I are broken," Roger Marmet said. He owns the Adams Morgan restaurant Roofers Union, among others.
