Deon Kay

DC Officer Shoots, Kills 18-Year-Old in Southeast DC

Ward 8 Council Member Trayon White, who represents the area, said Kay's mother told him her son was "a kid" and lived about two blocks from where police shot him

NBC Universal, Inc.

Protesters marched on the mayor's home early Thursday to call for change. See updates here.

An officer fatally shot an 18-year-old in Southeast D.C. Wednesday, police say, prompting protests outside a police station.

Officers responded to the 200 block of Orange Street SE just before 4 p.m. to investigate a man with a gun, police said. The location is east of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.

Officers saw some people in and around a vehicle and when those people noticed the officers, two ran off and officers ran after them, police said.

Police say 18-year-old Deon Kay took out a firearm during the pursuit. An officer then fired at Kay, striking him, police said.

Kay was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.

The other suspect who ran off was not apprehended, according to police.

Police said they found Kay's gun at the scene.

Police arrested 19-year-old Marcyelle Smith and charged him with carrying a pistol without a license. Deonte Brown, 18, was arrested and charged with no permit.

A deadly police-involved shooting in Southeast D.C is the first since the city's new police reform legislation took effect. News4's Mark Segraves explains what that means for the investigation, and what the public and family of the victim can expect.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the police department's 7th District police station on Alabama Avenue SE late Wednesday night and demanded answers about the shooting.

Alabama Avenue SE was closed between Knox Place and 24th Street SE for the protests, police said.

Before police released further information about the incident, community members decried the shooting and questioned whether the man was armed.

"Unacceptable," one woman yelled as Newsham wrapped up his afternoon news conference.

Sources told News4 that investigators had reviewed body camera footage of the shooting.

News4's Derrick Ward reports some are worried about finger pointing instead of real solutions after a fatal police shooting in Southeast D.C.

Police say that footage will be released on Thursday.

According to D.C.'s new police reform law, police are required to make body cam video available to the victim's family and the public within five days.

Ward 8 Council Member Trayon White, who represents the area, said Kay's mother told him her son was "a kid" and lived about two blocks from where police shot him.

The officers involved in Kay's shooting are on administrative leave.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for updates to this developing story.

Contact Us