A Washington, D.C., mother called police after seeing her son in a surveillance photo released by authorities. He allegedly tried to carjack a U.S. marshal, who fatally shot his 13-year-old accomplice, police said.
A Washington, D.C. mother called police on her 12-year-old son who was wanted for attempted carjacking after seeing him in a surveillance photo released by authorities.
The sobbing mother listened as the family's attorney told a judge Wednesday that the son was deeply troubled and had experienced anger management issues since age 5 and frequently disappeared for days at a time. She had gotten counseling for him, and recently enrolled him in a special school so he did not become a "victim of the streets," the lawyer said, according to local reports from journalists who attended the hearing.
The judge denied the attorney's plea to have the boy released to his mother, and ordered him held without bail in juvenile custody until his next court appearance on Monday.
On Oct. 28, 13-year-old Vernard Toney, Jr., was shot and killed as he allegedly tried to carjack a U.S. marshal sitting in his vehicle, police said. Toney and the 12-year-old allegedly approached the car, where the federal officer was waiting to start his shift as part of a security detail for the U.S. Attorney's office, authorities said.
Toney opened the passenger door and got in, while the 12-year-old opened the driver's door, police said. The boys made grabbing gestures at their waists as if they had weapons, authorities said.
"Get the f**k out, you know what this is," the 12-year-old allegedly said, according to investigators.
When the 12-year-old saw the marshal's uniform and his gun, the boy ran to the vehicle's other side and tried to get Toney out of the passenger seat, prosecutors said in court Wednesday, according to local reports. But it was too late. The marshal shot Toney once in the chest, authorities said.
Both boys ran, but Toney collapsed and later died at a nearby hospital, police said.
The 12-year-old was captured on surveillance video fleeing the scene, police said. A still photograph of the child was released to the public, with investigators asking for help in identifying him. The boy's mother saw image and phoned police, authorities said.
The child was charged Wednesday with attempted carjacking. No weapon was recovered at the scene, and the federal officer reported he did not see a gun during the encounter, authorities said. The officer is cooperating with investigators and has not been charged, police said.
"Guns, carjackings, 13-year-olds. Recipe for tragedies. That’s what we have," Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday, referring to the incident. The district is grappling with a 110% increase in carjackings, including a member of Congress who was carjacked at gunpoint last month as he was parking his vehicle near his Washington home.
The 13-year-old who was killed was remembered by his principal at Kelly Miller Middle School, where the boy was in the seventh grade.
"Vernard was a smart and talented student who created personal relationships not only with his schoolmates but also many of the staff here at Kelly Miller," said Donnell Cox in a letter to parents.
"He had a natural comedic ability and loved to make people laugh, especially when he would joke that he was the principal of Kelly Miller ... Vernard also loved to play basketball and spend his free time on the court with his friends," Cox wrote.
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