13-year-old pays with his life after picking wrong victim to allegedly carjack — an armed federal security officer waiting for his shift to start

A 13-year-old male was fatally shot over the weekend in Washington, D.C., after picking the wrong victim to allegedly carjack — an armed federal security officer who was waiting for his shift to start.

What are the details?

The officer was sitting in his personal vehicle in the 600 block of D Street NW, near the D.C. Superior Court building, when two youths approached him shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday and demanded his vehicle, the Washington Post reported, citing D.C. police.

The officer told investigators the pair ordered him out of his vehicle and that one “had his hand in his front waistband pocket as if he had a handgun,” the Post said, citing a police report.

As the officer exited his vehicle, police said he told investigators “he produced a handgun and shot one of the suspects," the paper reported.

The youth was shot once in the chest, the Post said, citing the police report.

A video report from WTTG-TV said both teens began to run toward 7th Street, but the teen who was shot fell to the ground.

Officers found a wounded juvenile male at the scene, WTTG-TV said in a story about the failed carjacking, adding that he was taken to a hospital, where he died. The first WTTG video report said no gun was found on the fatally shot teen.

A second video report below from the station indicated police said the teen who allegedly had his hand in his pocket was the suspect who ran off. The first WTTG video report said the teen who ran off is still on the loose, and there's a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Police identified the deceased juvenile as Vernard Toney Jr. of southeast Washington, the Post said, adding that a woman who identified herself as his grandmother declined to comment after being reached by phone Sunday.

The officer has been identified as William Reynolds, WTTG reported.

Police indicated they have the officer's legally owned gun, the Post said, adding that the officer hasn't been arrested and is cooperating with the investigation. Police are reviewing video from security cameras, the paper added.

More from the Post:

The shooting comes amid heightened concern over carjackings, which had soared 108 percent in the District this year, compared with the same period in 2022. As of Friday, police said there have been 821 carjackings in the city since January. Carjackings involving juveniles are also up this year.

In an incident last week, D.C. police said a 16-year-old girl driving a carjacked vehicle crashed into a utility pole in Northeast Washington and was killed. Police arrested a 15-year-old girl who police say was involved in the carjacking. The teen was previously in the custody of the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services because of robbery and theft charges, but the judge said she ordered the teen released because the agency had no available housing for her.

Violent crime in D.C. is up 41 percent this year, compared with this period in 2022, according to police statistics. Capital One Arena is several blocks north of where the youth was killed Saturday night, and the Washington Wizards played a home game there that started about three hours before the shooting. The area around 6th and D streets also includes the D.C. Court of Appeals and the D.C. police department’s headquarters.

13-year-old fatally shot by off-duty officer in attempted carjackingyoutu.be

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