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Former D.C. Employee Convicted of Manslaughter of 13-Year-Old

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Former D.C. Employee Convicted of Manslaughter of 13-Year-Old


WASHINGTON — A former Washington, D.C., city employee was found guilty of manslaughter Friday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed 13-year-old boy that sparked public uproar in the nation’s capital.

Jurors found Jason Lewis, 42, not guilty of second-degree murder, but convicted him of manslaughter and other charges after the trial in D.C. Superior Court over the killing of seventh grader Karon Blake.

Lewis, a longtime Parks and Recreation Department employee, turned himself in last year to face charges in Blake’s killing, which happened in January 2023 around 4 a.m., across the street from the middle school Blake attended, authorities said.

Lewis was seen on video leaving his house and firing at two young people who had been breaking into cars, prosecutors said. After a car was hit with gunfire, Blake ran in Lewis’ direction, and Lewis fired two shots, killing him, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors played for jurors a video in which Blake could be heard repeatedly saying “I’m sorry” and telling Lewis, “I’m just a kid,” according to media reports.

An attorney for Lewis didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment from The Associated Press on Friday.

Lewis took the witness stand in the case, arguing that he acted in self-defense. He told jurors that he thought he saw another person open fire on him and feared for his life, local media reported.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in October. The manslaughter charge carries up to 45 years in prison.



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Secret Service fatally shoots suspect outside White House checkpoint, bystander wounded

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Secret Service fatally shoots suspect outside White House checkpoint, bystander wounded


Police and members of the Secret Service block streets around the White House, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Alex Brandon/AP


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Alex Brandon/AP

WASHINGTON — A person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died, according to federal officials.

The U.S. Secret Service said in a statement late Saturday that, according to a preliminary investigation, the person approached a checkpoint shortly after 6 p.m. ET “removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers.”

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Officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, according to the Secret Service.

A bystander was struck, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was struck by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.

Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not “impacted.”

This is a breaking news update. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The U.S. Secret Service shot a person near the White House on Saturday, and a bystander also was shot, a law enforcement official said.

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Both individuals were said to be in critical condition, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

Journalists working at the White House on Saturday reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room.

On X, the Secret Service said it was “aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW” — one block from the White House — and was “working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground.” It said it will have an update shortly.

In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said officers were responding to shots fired and said he would “update the public as we’re able.”

President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time.

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Evidence of the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White House complex, where yellow crime scene tape snaked across the pavement and officers with the U.S. Secret Service placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Medical material, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and kits typically used by emergency medical personnel, were also seen.

In a post shared on X, ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic video of the moment she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. Writing that she had been performing a routine task that White House reporters do daily — filming themselves on a cellphone for a social media post — Wang’s video shows her speaking for a few seconds about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday about a potential Iran deal.

As the sounds of gunfire are heard in the background, Wang’s eyes grow wider, and she ducks down in the media tent, which is among those situated in a line along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their reports. On X, Wang’s video had been shared thousands of times as of Saturday evening, and viewed at least 3 million times.

The Metropolitan Police Department said on its X account that the Secret Service was working the scene and cautioned people to avoid the area. The scene is near where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.

U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her wounds. Andrew Wolfe, then 24, was critically wounded. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged in that incident.

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The gunfire Saturday comes nearly a month after what law enforcement authorities said was an attempted assassination of the president on April 25 as he attended the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, Calif., recently pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill Trump and remains in federal custody.

Following that scare, Secret Service officers shot a suspect they said had fired at officers near the Washington Monument, also near the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the May 4 shooting. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident.



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Inside Crypto’s Washington Command Center—and Blitz for Legitimacy

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Inside Crypto’s Washington Command Center—and Blitz for Legitimacy


The most important real-world address in all of crypto may very well be 1155 F Street in Washington. The location is a 12-story, glass-paneled office tower that has quickly become the industry’s command center in its bid for securing greater sway in the nation’s capital. Nearly everyone who …



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Violent teen takeovers prompt ramped up security measures as summer officially begins

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Violent teen takeovers prompt ramped up security measures as summer officially begins


From inside a Washington D.C. Chipotle, to Narragansett beach in Rhode Island, and outside Charlotte Beach in Rochester, New York, swarms of violent teen disturbances are taking over cities across the nation. The recent surge in incidents nationwide is now prompting leaders to step in.

Federal, state and local officials have vowed to use every tool at their disposal to curb the teen mayhem and allow businesses to bring in money. That includes increasing law enforcement, scanning social media, and deploying messaging campaigns.

It was simply destruction of property. It was a takeover of a restaurant by individuals who felt like they could get away with it. Well, they’re not going to get away with it,” said Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

In response to the Chipotle mayhem in mid-May, Pirro sent a message this week to both teens and their parents.

We will arrest you and where we can, we will prosecute you aggressively and we will prosecute your parents,” Pirro said.

Meanwhile, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, the mayor spoke out as well. He said the shore town is pulling out all the stops to make sure teens don’t take over this holiday weekend. Vowing to deploy the FBI and SWAT if needed.

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We’re going to summons you and summon your parent. This has got to stop. Not only in Seaside, nationwide,” mayor Tommy Vaz told Fox News Digital.

City officials in Long Branch also implemented a curfew and beefed up security after hundreds of young adults illegally took over the pier village area this week. Spreading from the boardwalk to the streets, the violence led to six arrests and over one hundred officers being dispatched to the area. Plus, local officials in Rochester, New York, announced that security changes are being made at Charlotte beach after those large fights broke out over the weekend. Including new lighting and operating hours.

Anyone who engages in this type of violence, in any vandalism, assaults, any criminal activity in county parks, is going to be held accountable for their actions,” said Adam Bello, County Executive of Monroe County.

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Officials in Wildwood, New Jersey, have a curfew in place for anyone under 18-years-old without an adult. The Police Department and Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office have also issued cease-and-desist notices to promoters organizing unsanctioned pop-up parties.



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