Journee Long, a 15-year-old girl from Bowie, Maryland, died on June 6, 2026, after a shooting inside an apartment in Southeast Washington, D.C. She had recently celebrated her 15th birthday and was a student at Charles Herbert Flowers High School, remembered by her family as a bright, joyful teenager with plans for the future, including an interest in cosmetology school after graduation.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 p.m. in the 900 block of Barnaby Street SE.
Police said Journee was inside an apartment with another teenager, described in reports as her 15-year-old best friend, when the two came across an illegal and unsecured handgun. Investigators said the other teen handled or manipulated the weapon, and it discharged, striking Journee. Officers who responded found her unconscious and not breathing with a critical gunshot wound. D.C. Fire and EMS personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
Authorities described the shooting as accidental, but the case was still handled by MPD’s Homicide Branch. The other teenager was not injured and reportedly ran to get help after the gun went off. Police said she had not been charged, and officials described her as deeply upset while detectives interviewed her about what happened.
Investigators later identified the owner of the firearm as 33-year-old J’Von Green of Southeast Washington, D.C. Reports said the shooting happened inside Green’s apartment and that Green was the godfather of the teen who handled the gun. Police said the weapon was illegal, unsecured, and accessible to the two juveniles.
Green was arrested and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, carrying a pistol without a license, and criminally negligent storage of a firearm. He appeared in D.C. Superior Court and was ordered held without bond, with another court appearance expected later that week. As of the available reports, no murder charge or conviction had been reported, and MPD said the homicide investigation remained active in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In the days after Journee’s death, her family spoke publicly about the grief of losing her so suddenly. Her mother, Lisa Jeffries, described the devastation of knowing she would never see her daughter grow up, graduate, or continue toward the life she had imagined. Loved ones asked that Journee be remembered not only for the circumstances of the shooting, but for the life she was building before it was cut short.
