A former Washington, D.C. government worker has been found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed teenage boy he had accused of breaking into cars in his neighborhood, authorities said.
Jason Lewis, 42, was handed down the guilty verdict by a D.C. Superior Court jury on Friday, Aug. 16, in connection with the 2023 killing of 13-year-old Karon Blake, according to a press release shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The jury acquitted Lewis of a second-degree murder charge.
According to the Associated Press, The Washington Post and a DC News Now, Lewis was a longtime D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation employee and was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 31, 2023, after surrendering to police in connection with the case.
Lewis argued he acted in self-defense when he shot at two young children — one of whom was Blake — he believed were breaking into cars in his Northeast, D.C., neighborhood at around 4 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2023, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Lewis, who was armed with a fully-loaded registered handgun, was seen on video leaving his house and shooting in the direction of two children, hitting a car that one was driving. Blake then “ran in Lewis’ direction” and Lewis fired two shots at Blake, killing him, according to the release.
“Lewis claimed that he acted in self-defense because the two people that he initially fired at threatened him,” the release states.
Lewis testified during the trial that he went outside his home to investigate after hearing noises and seeing someone he believed was tampering with cars, NBC 4 Washingtonreports. He claimed in court that he feared for his life and opened fire after seeing Blake run towards him, according to the outlet.
“I’m sorry! I’m just a kid!” Blake can be heard repeatedly saying in the video footage shown in court, per the AP. The boy was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the shooting, police previously said.
However, prosecutors denied Lewis’ claim of self-defense, saying that he didn’t wait to see whether Blake was unarmed, DC News Now reports.
The shooting sparked outrage in the area after misinformation about the suspect’s identity was spread online. At the time, former Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III cited the ongoing investigation as the reason why the gunman’s identity was not immediately made public.
He mentioned during a January 2023 press conference that the police department became aware of photos that were circulating on social media showing “people who have nothing to do with this case, and people are making allegations centered around race, and it’s wrong.” The former police chief later confirmed that the gunman is Black.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also criticized Lewis’ actions and encouraged people to call 911 instead of taking the law into their own hands, according to NBC 4 Washington.
According to a GoFundMe launched in the wake of his death, Blake was remembered as a “quiet and inquisitive scholar who loved fashion and football.” Loved ones also said on the fundraiser that he was a student at Brookland Middle School.
Lewis was found guilty of three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, committed against a minor, prosecutors said.
Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25. According to prosecutors, he faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.
