A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 10-year-old girl who died when a bullet flew through her family's car in Northeast D.C. on Mother's Day, police say.
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.
Davis' 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 went off, police said. Witnesses said they heard more than 50 shots.
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The family realized the child had been shot in the upper body, and they rushed to a firehouse. She was then rushed to a hospital.
D.C. police said people in the community helped them tie Gregory to the case.
"The community is sick and tired of these things occurring within their neighborhoods, and so they're reaching out to us. They're providing us with the information that we are requesting. It has certainly been helpful … and we will continue to depend upon their support in order to solve some of our cases," Chief of Police Pamela Smith said at a news conference Monday.
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.
Police said the family was not the intended target of the shooting and that they were innocent victims.
“It is unacceptable to me that a 10-year-old little girl, riding home with her mom, dad and two siblings last night, got caught in the middle of a barrage of gunfire on Mother’s Day," former Police Chief Robert Contee said after the shooting.
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.
