In the pre-dawn hours of January 7, 2023, the life of 13-year-old Karon Blake was cut short in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Karon, a Black male and a student at Brookland Middle School, was fatally shot by a homeowner who confronted him and two other youths.
The man who fired the fatal shots was Jason Lewis, a 41-year-old Black male and a longtime employee of the D.C. Parks and Recreation department.
Lewis told authorities he was awakened by noises and, fearing a home invasion, went outside with his legally owned firearm to investigate. He said he saw individuals who appeared to be tampering with vehicles on his street.
According to police, video evidence showed Lewis firing a shot toward a getaway car, which was stolen. After this initial shot, Karon Blake ran in Lewis's direction. Lewis then fired again, striking the teenager. Neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots. When police arrived at the scene on Quincy Street Northeast, they found Lewis attempting to perform CPR on Karon, who had been shot twice in his side. Karon was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Court documents later revealed that after being shot, Karon had pleaded, 'I'm a kid, I'm a kid.'
On January 31, 2023, Jason Lewis turned himself in to the Metropolitan Police Department and was charged with second-degree murder while armed. Following a trial, a jury found Lewis guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in August 2024. In January 2025, a judge sentenced Lewis to 12 and a half years in prison. The case sparked significant community outrage and debate over the use of force in response to property crime.
