2 suspects arrested in DC shooting that killed 12-year-old, 14-year-old
A teen and a second suspect were charged with murder after a 12-year-old and 14-year-old were shot and killed in Northeast D.C. this spring, authorities say.
Mhilo Young, who was 12, and Tyale Coates, who was 14, were the victims.
Antonio Terry, 18, was arrested Sunday and charged with first-degree murder while armed, the office of U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said. He appeared in D.C. Superior Court and was ordered held without bond.
A second suspect was arrested and charged in the past hour, the interim police chief said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Young and Coates were outside a convenience store in the 700 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE during their spring break the afternoon of April 14 when shooters sprayed the area with bullets. The boys had just bought French fries and juice from a food truck.
Court documents say “three masked males” in a black, stolen Honda Accord drove up to the entrance of the Circle 7 Express store, got out, opened fire and sped off.
Investigators found 70 shell casings on the scene.
It appears the victims were targeted in retaliation because of their neighborhood, not who they were, the chief said.
Coates was an eighth grader at KIPP DC Valor Academy, and Young was a former student there, KIPP DC said in a statement this spring.
“Both students were cherished members of the KIPP DC Valor Academy family, and their loss is profoundly felt by our students, staff, and families,” the school said.
D.C. residents told News4 after the shooting they were heartbroken and angry to hear that two children so young were killed.
“These kids are babies!” community activist Terra Martin said.
Police found what they believe was the stolen getaway car set on fire in Prince George’s County.
The search for another suspect is ongoing.
Terry is due in court Nov. 9. Information on the second suspect’s court date was not immediately released.
The man suspected of shooting and wounding a National Guardsman in D.C. was on supervised release and had three prior gun convictions, including for shooting at a special police officer in Northeast. He went to prison for about 10 years after the 2015 crime. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
