A 16-year-old boy allegedly killed his mom’s boyfriend on Father’s Day, police say.
James Austin was found shot to death in Damascus, Maryland.
Isaiah Brown-Hawkins allegedly stole his car, then pulled a gun and told his mom, “I’m going to shoot your man,” according to court documents. A short time later, he shot Austin several times and fled, a witness told police.
Police are still looking for him.
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“In light of the nature of the killing, in light of the fact that we know he has access to handguns, this is a public safety issue for us,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.
Brown-Hawkins had help from his friend, 19-year-old Khamani Imes, who was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, prosecutors said. Imes was present during the shooting and gave Brown Hawkins a gun to use when the first gun jammed, telling Brown-Hawkins to “finish him off,” court documents say.
His father doesn’t believe his son would incite a shooting.
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“That right there is alleged, and we know he didn’t say that, he wouldn’t say that, because he’s about love and he’s about being humble,” Julius Asaf-El said.
“It’s just a scary situation, because he didn’t pull the trigger or nothing, but he’s guilty by association,” he said.
He said he told his son to try to get Brown-Hawkins to turn himself in.
“I said they got a reward out for him. Tell him if he calls you, there’s a reward out,” Asaf-El said. “I’ll try to get that reward for him and give it to him, so he can have something when he’s sitting in jail. So he can have some money.”
The state’s attorney’s office said it is aware the two are in contact but wouldn’t comment further on the issue of the reward money.
A judge denied Imes bond Wednesday, calling him a danger to the public. If he’s convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
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