On a summer evening in Washington, D.C., 17-year-old Taijhon Wyatt, Jr., a male, was fatally shot. The incident occurred on August 10, 2020, in the 5500 block of 9th Street, Northwest. Wyatt was in an alley with friends around 9:34 p.m. when a stolen vehicle approached. Two individuals inside the car opened fire on the group. Wyatt was struck by multiple gunshots and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another adult male in the group was also wounded but survived with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooters fled in the stolen car, which was later found abandoned in Baltimore.
The investigation into the senseless act of violence led to the identification and arrest of three suspects. Deandre Levy, who was 19 at the time, was the first to be apprehended in December 2020. He was followed by the arrests of 17-year-old Nelfy Hernandez and 16-year-old Trey Prillerman in February 2021. All three were charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed. Prosecutors stated that security footage and audio showed the defendants 'stalking' Wyatt and his friends in the moments leading up to the ambush, attempting to trap them.
In August 2023, all three defendants accepted plea deals. Trey Prillerman and Nelfy Hernandez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. Deandre Levy pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed. During the sentencing in April 2024, Wyatt's family expressed their profound grief and called for the maximum possible sentences. Prillerman was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Hernandez to 13 years, and Levy received an eight-year sentence for their roles in the tragic death of Taijhon Wyatt, Jr.
