On arrival, officers found Vernard Toney Jr. suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
In a press release, law enforcement revealed the results of their preliminary investigation. The off-duty officer was apparently sitting in his car when a pair of juveniles approached him and ordered him to get out of the vehicle.
According to police, one of the suspects had his hand in his front pocket as if indicating he was concealing a weapon. When the security officer exited the vehicle, he shot one of the suspects as the other fled.
The officer does not face charges at this time.
The horrific incident continues a D.C. trend of increasingly younger people involved in violent carjackings. In August, a 12-year-old boy was arrested after attempting to take a vehicle at gunpoint. The same month, a group of five teens aged 13 to 16 were charged in a string of carjackings and robberies.
The death of the 13-year-old suspect in this latest incident is a tragedy no matter the circumstances. For one so young to be involved in such a violent crime is heartbreaking and points to an obvious lack of adult supervision.
Now the federal security officer must live with the knowledge that he ended a young life. He was given little choice as he apparently had every right to believe that he was in mortal danger, but there are very few people who would not be affected by such a trauma.
It is an extremely bad idea to pretend to have a weapon while committing a violent crime. The target is given the impression that their life is imminently threatened and cannot be blamed for responding accordingly.
Though doubtlessly affected, the intended victim did only what he was forced to do.
