Teen Carjacker Fatally Shot by Off-Duty Officer Amid Rising Youth Crime in D.C.

Second fatal shooting of a DC teen involved in carjacking in the same week, as city officials squabble over responsibility amid concerning rise in youth crime and increased juvenile carjackings.

• The 13-year-old boy, Vernard Toney Jr., was shot during an attempted carjacking at the Penn Quarter neighbourhood. He had nine prior carjacking and robbery charges in a five-week period in the District’s Anacostia area. He is the second teenager killed in a five-day span in carjacking incidents.
• Another 15-year-old girl, who had records of arrests for earlier carjackings was involved in a separate carjacking earlier in the week that ended in a crash, killing a teenage girl.
• District Officials, including the Mayor and the Superior court judges, are debating over who to blame for the outings of youths from custody and whether the 15-year-old girl should have been securely held before the deadly crash.
• With violent crime rising in D.C., and most of it committed by adults, officials are struggling to find a joint response to what they have termed a public safety crisis. Some officials are pushing for charging more teenagers with violent crimes as adults, while others emphasise the need for rehabilitation over punishment.
• The city has seen an alarming rise in carjackings this year, with 85 arrests of juveniles in carjackings recorded so far, a 20 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Of the 219 cases resolved by late October, 63% of arrests involved juveniles.

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