Jason Lewis, a former Washington, D.C. government worker, was found guilty of manslaughter on Friday, August 16, for the 2023 shooting death of 13-year-old Karon Blake, who was unarmed and accused of car break-ins in Lewis’s neighborhood.
The D.C. Superior Court jury also acquitted Lewis of second-degree murder, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Lewis, a longtime employee of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, was placed on administrative leave on January 31, 2023, after turning himself in to the police, according to PEOPLE.
Lewis claimed he acted in self-defense when he fired at two young children, including 13-year-old Blake, whom he suspected of breaking into cars in his Northeast D.C. neighborhood early on January 7, 2023.
Prosecutors revealed that Lewis, armed with a fully loaded registered handgun, was captured on video leaving his house and shooting toward two children, hitting a car one was driving.
When 13-year-old Blake ran toward Lewis, he fired two shots at Blake, resulting in the boy’s death, according to the press release.
“Lewis claimed that he acted in self-defense because the two people that he initially fired at threatened him,” the release stated.
During the trial, Lewis testified that he went outside to investigate noises and suspected car tampering. According to NBC 4 Washington, Lewis claimed he feared for his life and fired his weapon after seeing 13-year-old Blake running toward him.
In court, footage revealed Blake repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry! I’m just a kid!” before being pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the shooting, according to the AP.
Prosecutors disputed Lewis’s self-defense claim, arguing he did not check if Blake was unarmed before firing, as reported by DC News Now. The shooting led to local outrage, fueled by misinformation about the suspect’s identity circulating online.
Former Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III cited the investigation as the reason for not disclosing the gunman’s identity immediately.
In a January 2023 press conference, Contee debunked rumors surrounding incorrect photos and racial allegations being bandied about, clarifying that the gunman, later confirmed to be Black, was mistakenly linked to individuals unrelated to the case.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized Lewis’s actions and urged people to call 911 rather than take matters into their own hands, as reported by NBC 4 Washington.
A GoFundMe established after Blake’s death described him as a “quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football” and noted that he was a student at Brookland Middle School.
Lewis was found guilty of three counts of firearm possession during a crime of violence, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, involving a minor.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25, and prosecutors have indicated he faces up to 45 years in prison.
