The 12-year-old facing charges in connection with an attempted carjacking in D.C., during which a 13-year-old was killed, was turned in to police by his own mother. A judge ordered the boy held in D.C.’s youth detention center during a hearing Wednesday.
The attempted carjacking took place on a Saturday night in the 600 block of D Street Northwest, situated in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. According to the police report, 13-year-old Vernard Toney Jr. and another preteen boy, both hailing from Southeast D.C., approached an off-duty U.S. Marshal court security officer who was seated in his vehicle. an attempted carjacking
During his testimony in court on Wednesday, D.C. police Detective Thomas O’Donnell recounted that the two boys had their hands concealed in their front waistband pockets, giving the impression that they were armed with handguns when they demanded the off-duty U.S. Marshal court security officer to exit his vehicle. One of the boys shouted, “You know what this is,” as described by the detective.
As the security officer was complying and exiting his vehicle, he resorted to using his legally owned handgun to shoot Toney, according to O’Donnell’s testimony. Both boys fled the scene, with Toney collapsing in the street while the 12-year-old continued to run, as detailed in O’Donnell’s account. Tragically, Toney later succumbed to his injuries.
At present, the officer involved in the incident does not face any charges, as he had legally owned the handgun used in the shooting.