DC mayor, police chief ask for help in case of 15-year-old shot, killed over Memorial Day weekend

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - D.C. leaders met with reporters Wednesday to ask for help in finding the people responsible for gunning down a teenage boy over the Memorial Day weekend in a parking lot in the Southeast.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chief Peter Newsham were joined by other officials outside of the convenience store on Wheeler Road where 15-year-old Maurice Scott was shot and killed around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 26.

Surveillance video released showed a gunman stepping out of a vehicle and opening fire on a group that included Maurice. Investigators say two women and a young girl were also injured in the shooting.

"The people responsible for taking Maurice's life must be brought to justice," Bowser said. Newsham said a $25,000 reward is being offered in the case.

The community is also coming together in the wake of Scott's death. His journalism teacher at Somerset Prep DC found out about the teen's death and decided to honor him in a way the entire community could appreciate

Cory Stowers teamed up with a local artist to create a mural of Scott surrounded by colorful flowers.

His teacher told FOX 5 Wednesday Scott and other students would come to the convenience store every day before class.

He says now the store not only serves as a permanent memorial but a visible wake-up call to the violence here in Southeast.

"Going into the fourth quarter of the year, Maurice was the highest percentage student in the class. So, I was really really looking forward to getting into his final few weeks so he could accomplish the goal of getting certified," said Stowers. "At the time, I was working on the yearbook for the school I was looking at all these images of him with his friends. It was just really heartbreaking."

Stowers says he hopes the mural will eventually expose the suspect or suspects involved.