Karon Blake's family, supporters demand justice at community rally in Northeast

DC community demands answers after killing of 13-year-old

Community members in D.C.'s Ward 5 are demanding answers, days after 13-year-old Karon Blake was shot and killed by a resident who suspected him of breaking into cars. D.C. police, meanwhile, are calling for patience as they continue to investigate the matter. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the latest from Northeast.

WASHINGTON - Community members in D.C.'s Ward 5 are demanding answers, days after 13-year-old Karon Blake was shot and killed by a resident who suspected him of breaking into cars.

D.C. police, meanwhile, are calling for patience as they continue to investigate the matter.

Emotions ran high at the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center in Northeast Tuesday night. Hundreds of people attended, and at some point, things got heated.

Community demands answers in death of 13-year-old Karon Blake

Backlash is being felt by members of the D.C. Police Department as community members demand answers and justice for Karon Blake.

Concerned, and in some cases, angry community members joined Karon Blake's family's call for answers.

"My family is not gonna say anything at this moment, but we thank you guys and I want you all to pray for my nephew," Karon's aunt said. "We want justice. He’s 13. He’s a baby, and at the end of the day, thank you guys."

"There are no answers to any questions that you can give that’s gonna make anyone in this building feel better," one resident said.

"He should’ve been taken into custody. He should’ve been questioned, and we should have the identity right now," another woman stated.

"MPD has once again failed us," one man added.

The anger and disappointment all stems from what happened early Saturday morning at about 4 a.m. on Quincy Street Northeast.

According to police, a resident of the area confronted 13-year-old Karon Blake for allegedly breaking into cars. While what happened next is still unclear, police said the resident ultimately fired a gun — killing the 13-year-old.

D.C. police have not released the name of the resident who opened fire. They said they normally don't identify people in similar situations unless there's a warrant for their arrest.

The shooter, according to police, is an African-American man who is a legal gun owner with a registered concealed carry permit. He is also not a member of law enforcement, police confirmed.

As FOX 5 previously reported, a group posted a photo of a white man and a picture of Karon Blake, implying that man is the shooter.

Shooting of 13-year-old Karon Blake not 'centered around race'

D.C.'s police chief breaks his silence on the investigation into the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Karon Blake. FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez is live outside D.C. Police headquarters with the latest.

D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III addressed the misinformation during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

"The fact that there’s misinformation swirling out there and people are tying it to race and other things and putting images of innocent people out there next to young Karon saying that this is the person that’s responsible for that — that’s reckless and that’s dangerous," Contee said. "Imagine if that was your picture beside his and people showed up at your house with half information. That’s unacceptable."

Contee declined to go into specifics of the case, citing the ongoing investigation. He said ultimately a D.C. grand jury will decide if charges are filed.