A man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after he suspected him of breaking into cars in their neighborhood in Northeast D.C. last year was convicted on Friday of manslaughter and found not guilty on a second-degree murder charge.
Jason Lewis opened fire on Karon Blake, a middle schooler, on Quincy Street NE early the morning of Jan. 7, 2023.
On video, Blake can be heard yelling, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m just a kid! I’m 12!”
The 13-year-old was taken to a hospital, where he died.
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Lewis was found not guilty of second-degree murder and guilty of manslaughter, two counts of assault and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
As the verdict was read, Lewis showed no emotion. Neither his family nor Blake’s were in the courtroom at the time.
Lewis argued he acted in self-defense. He told police he stepped outside with a gun at about 4 a.m. because he heard noises and saw someone who appeared to be tampering with parked cars. Moments later, he opened fire.
Lewis took the stand in his defense and said that as he opened the gate to his patio, he saw a gun pointed at him from the driver’s side of a car parked in the alley. He said he saw a flash and heard a bang. He fired when he said he saw Blake running toward him.
A camera outside the home recorded some of Blake’s last words.
Prosecutors told jurors there was no evidence that anyone fired at Lewis that morning. When questioned by police, he never said anything about being shot at. He never asked police to look for evidence that someone had shot at him. When asked by prosecutors why that was the case, he said he was in shock at the time.
Lewis was released on his own recognizance, with GPS monitoring. He’s set to be sentenced on Oct. 25.
What Jason Lewis said on a 911 call after shooting Karon Blake
Video showed Lewis did not immediately go to Blake’s aid. Instead, he stood against a wall, took a deep breath on his patio, walked into his home and called 911. Jurors heard the 911 call.
“I shot the young man. He was running toward me,” Lewis said.
“Is he a teenager?” the call taker asked.
“He said he was 12,” Lewis said.
“Is he conscious and breathing?” the call taker asked.
“No,” Lewis said.
“Where was he shot?” the call taker asked.
“I don't know,” Lewis said.
“He was running towards you when you shot him?” the call taker asked.
“Yes,” Lewis said.
‘He took my baby’
Blake was a student at Brookland Middle School and loved football and fashion, the principal said after his death.
“He was the nicest boy in my class,” a classmate said at a vigil, through tears. ”He was always funny. He made everybody smile.”
He was “the man of the house,” his mother, Londen Blake, said after his death.
“He took my baby, my first-born,” she said.
When Blake was shot, his mother had thought he was home in bed, her lawyer said.
“Despite the time of the day it was, despite, you know, children are children,” Londen Blake said. “Some of them grow up too fast, some of them do things that they’re not supposed to do, and some us parents are not aware at all times.”
At a vigil, Blake’s brother and sister both spoke about how much they will miss him.
“I don’t want to keep waking up knowing that my brother’s not here with me no more. I don't. It hurts,” his brother said.
What Jason Lewis said in his defense
Lewis testified in his defense and said he started shooting because he feared for life. On the stand, he told the court something he never told police: that he saw a car on the street. He said he thought he saw in his peripheral vision someone charging at him.
“I saw a pistol inside the car, the driver's seat. I saw a flash and heard a bang. I fired. I thought it was a gun. I thought I was being shot at. In my peripheral vision, I saw someone charging at me. I saw a person. I feared for my safety. I feared for my life. I fired two shots,” he said.
On cross examination, a prosecutor asked Lewis, “You never told police you were shot at. Why?”
“I was in shock,” Lewis replied.
“You never told police to look for a bullet hole or a shell casing. Why?” the prosecutor asked.
“I was in shock,” Lewis said a second time.
“When you called 911 that morning, you first said you had a concealed carry permit, not that you needed EMS. Why did you do that?” the prosecutor asked.
“I wanted the police to know they could be safe when they got to the house,” Lewis replied.
His gun was legally registered, police said.
‘No car or material possession is worth a life’
Blake and two other people were breaking into cars that morning and had arrived in a stolen car, police said.
After the deadly shooting, then-chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Robert Contee said a group of young men with flashlights were going into cars on Jan. 7. Three cars on Quincy Street had damaged or broken windows, court documents say.
Contee said there was no confrontation or conversation between Lewis and Blake before Lewis opened fire.
D.C. Council members and safety advocates asked why Lewis resorted to deadly force, even when he thought cars were being broken into.
"Property is not greater than life. Karon should be alive today," D.C. Council Member Christina Henderson said in a social media post.
"No car or material possession is worth a life – under any circumstance. I join Ward 5 residents in calling on the MPD and the U.S. Attorney's office to hold accountable the individual who took Karon's life,” Council Member Zachary Parker said in a statement.
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After the shooting, Mayor Muriel Bowser advised anyone with concerns about crime to call 911, not try to take action on their own.
"If you feel there is a public safety issue in or around your home, call 911. That is the appropriate thing to do, to call 911," she said.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
