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Father of murdered teen says he 'can't understand' why violence continues to happen
"I know the Metro system has changed from when I used to ride the Metro system 20-some years ago, but I just can’t understand how with so much security and so many police officers, still that kind of violence happens," said John Evans, father of a 14-year-old who was shot and killed at Brookland Metro station two weeks ago.
WASHINGTON - It's been two weeks since a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed at a D.C. Metro station. His family says they're waiting for city officials to meet with them to address their concerns.
Avion Evans was shot and killed at the Brookland Metro station on April 4. Avion had taken a train home from his middle school in Northwest D.C.
"I know the Metro system has changed from when I used to ride the Metro system 20-some years ago, but I just can’t understand how, with so much security and so many police officers, still that kind of violence happens," said John Evans, Avion's father.
Evans has lost two sons to murder at D.C. Metro stations. Avion's older brother, Johnny Evans III, was stabbed to death at the Deanwood Metro station in Northeast DC in April 2016. He was 15 years old.
A 16-year-old suspect was arrested in the shooting on April 9.
"He shot into a crowd of kids and he could’ve hit anybody. Unfortunately, he hit Avion Evans, and then this chump walked right out of there with his pistol just like he walked in," said Evans.
Evans says he still hasn't heard from the mayor or any city officials. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told FOX 5 DC last week that she wanted to talk to Evans' family about the shooting before speaking to the press.
"The mayor said that she was going to talk to us first," said Evans. "Nobody has reached out to us. We have not spoken to the mayor. We have not talked to anybody but the detectives."
The teen charged with Avion's murder was captured on Metro surveillance cameras. His lawyer called the crime a "spontaneous incident" in court last week.
"The coward that killed my son, his parents are asking for him to be released because they said that he had never been locked up before. Well, my son had never been killed before," said Evans.
"I mean we love our kids. I mean, I don’t know if people realize, but we love our kids. We just have to deal with what we’re dealing with in this culture. You know what I’m saying? We really love our kids, we’re just trying to figure out how to navigate this culture without them getting hurt or being a part of the violence in the culture," said Evans.
Avion's funeral will be held later this month. Evans says he’s overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from their neighbors in Brookland and Avion's school community.