Holly MatkinWashington, DC – Rioters converged on a DC Metro police station and stormed Mayor Muriel Bowser’s neighborhood in the wake of the fatal officer-involved shooting of an armed 18-year-old man on Wednesday.
The incident began at approximately 4 p.m. on Sept. 2, when police received a report of a man with a gun in the 200-block of Orange Street Southeast, WRC reported.
Officers responded to the area and spotted a group of people standing around a vehicle, police said.
As soon as the group noticed the officers, two of them took off running, leading police on a foot pursuit, WRC reported.
According to investigators, one of the suspects pulled a gun from his waist during the chase, according to The Washington Post.
An officer saw him draw the weapon and the officer responded by firing his duty weapon, striking the armed suspect in the chest.
The wounded gunman was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds, WRC reported.
His family identified him as 18-year-old Deon Kay, according to The Washington Post.
The second suspect who ran from police has not been located.
Investigators said they recovered two firearms at the scene – one that Kay had been carrying, and one that they found on a second suspect.
Officers ultimately arrested 19-year-old Marcyelle Smith for allegedly carrying a pistol without license, and 18-year-old Deonte Brown on a charge of having no permit, WTOP reported.
MPD said that bodycam footage of the shooting could be released as soon as Thursday.
Photos and videos showing Kay and other men armed with handguns and pointing weapons at the camera have been widely shared on social media since the incident.
Kay’s mother, Natasha Kay, told reporters that she and her son live just blocks away from where the shooting occurred, according to The Washington Post.
“They took my baby! They just took my baby from me,” she told the paper. “I need my son back. I want my son back.”
News of the officer-involved shooting spread quickly, and angry protesters soon congregated outside the DC Metro Police Department’s (MPD) Seventh District station to demand more details about what had occurred, WRC reported.
The official @DMVBlackLives DC #BlackLivesMatter is also calling for protests to assemble at 9pm. pic.twitter.com/zkEz89XqlZ
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) September 3, 2020
Officers wearing bike helmets used their bicycles to help block the mob from entering the station’s front doors, according to The Washington Post.
Police also shut down sections of Irving Street Southeast and Alabama Avenue as the group converged on the station.
Protestors facing off with DC cops tonight after they shot & killed 18-year old black man Deon Kay in the back as he ran from an arrest there this afternoon: pic.twitter.com/DSaq77NSyf
— MK-Ultra News (@mkultranews) September 3, 2020
The crowd of approximately 100 people hurled profanities at the officers and raised their fists in the air as they demanded “justice” for the death of the armed suspect.
“You’re about to lose your job, because you’re killing us for no reason,” one protester yelled outside of the police station, according to WJLA.
“Do you have kids?” #DeonKay #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/3XWh7JOuq8
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) September 3, 2020
DC Councilman Trayon White Sr. told reporters that citizens are “concerned about a young man being shot,” as well as claims from residents that the incident didn’t occur the way police said it had, The Washington Post reported.
“The police officer killed my nephew. Shot him in the back”
She said his name is Deon Kay#MPDShooting #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/HxgU1iSO0I
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) September 3, 2020
It is unclear whether or not those residents actually witnessed the officer-involved shooting, White acknowledged.
“I want to get the truth out about what happened,” White told reporters. “We need to figure out what the facts are. We are concerned.”
(2 of 2) #DeonKay #BlackLivesMatter #DCProtests #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/RcRlkpaS8d
— Protest News (@BLMProtestNews) September 3, 2020
Nearly two dozen protesters showed up at DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s home during the night, according to News2Share.
Police said that Bowser said she did not want any “guests” and to keep the crowd off of her property, so the protesters began pounding on her neighbor’s doors instead, according to the news outlet.
Beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, a group of protesters marched along 16th Street Northwest, demanding that MPD Chief Peter Newsham be fired over Kay’s death, WRC reported.
UPDATE – The rally has begun and is now heading NB on 16th St NW pic.twitter.com/PGVWvSK3z5
— Justin Finch (@JustinNBC4) September 3, 2020
Protestors from @SunriseMvmtDC marched to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Colonial Village home following the police killing of #DeonKay yesterday in SE. The group is demanding Bowser fire Police Chief Peter Newsham and defund MPD. @washingtonian pic.twitter.com/W6PKKtcPMo
— Hannah Good (@goodhannah7) September 3, 2020
“I’m a black person living in this city. I’m tired of seeing people like me get murdered,” a protester wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt told the news outlet. “I’m tired of the mayor not being accountable for it. I’m tired of, like, Peter Newsham and his gang of killer cops that are terrorizing the city.”
Around 60% the officers in MPD are black.
Sandy Malone
