This past Tuesday morning, Robert J. Contee III, the Washington D.C. Chief of Police, spoke up about a shooting that happened over this past weekend, which ended in the death of one thirteen-year-old male, Karon Blake.
As part of the press conference, Contee expressed his displeasure at the “misinformation” taking place and stated that he did empathize with the company in the area.
“There’s been too much misinformation swirling around this incident, too many people have made assumptions about this case, and it is unfair to the grieving family,” stated Contee. “Spreading of inaccurate information is dangerous, reckless, and has the potential to adversely impact the investigation and the relationships in our community.”
“We recognize the community’s desire to get the details of this incident, but we must also acknowledge that the ongoing nature of the investigation prevents us from sharing specifics that could jeopardize the integrity of this case,” explained Contee, but he refused to issue any kind of certain information.
He went on to say that there will be carried out a total review concerning the incident, which he has labeled as a “tragic death of a son of our city.”
“It’s not about getting it fast but about getting it right,” explained Contee, continuing, “This process takes time.”
“People are making allegations centered around race, and that is wrong,” stated Contee.
The police chief refused to give the name of the person who shot the teen, but stated that he is African American and was not found to be in connection to law enforcement. The Washington Post stated in a report that anonymous sources stated that he is a public employee for Washington, D.C., which the city’s Mayor, Muriel Bowser, explained to be true as of Wednesday. Bowser highlighted that he has been pushed to administrative leave.
Just prior to four in the morning this past Saturday, Blake was shot. Law enforcement officials have stated that it there is no indication that Blake has a weapon at all. On Tuesday, Contee also stated that they had not found any kind of weapon around Blake. The officers also highlighted that it appeared as if two other people ran from the scene.
A release stated that “[d]etectives’ investigation at the scene revealed that a male inside of a residence, at the listed location, heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles.”
“The male resident went outside, armed with a registered firearm, to further investigate. There was an interaction between a juvenile male and the male resident,” it went on. “During the interaction, the male resident discharged his firearm striking the victim.”
A police report allegedly stated that Blake had a number of wounds seemingly from firearms. He eventually passed away at an area hospital.
