An 11-year-old boy was killed after being shot in the head in Southeast D.C. Saturday night. Davon McNeal was on his way to a cookout and stopped at his aunt’s house to pick up a phone charger, according to a Facebook post by his grandfather, John Ayala. When he got out of the car and started heading toward his aunt’s building, he was struck in the head by a stray bullet. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital. The shooting took place in the 1400 block of Cedar Street after 9:30 p.m. when a group of about five men was “shooting up in the area,” Police Chief Peter Newsham said.
— DC Police Department #StayHomeDC (@DCPoliceDept) July 5, 2020
McNeal attended Kramer Middle School in Southeast D.C. and played football. The school put out a tweet Sunday in honor of the boy reading, “We are saddened and heartbroken over the passing of our young king, Davon McNeal. Mighty Hornet, We will miss You!!” There are no suspects at this time as detectives continue the investigation. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser took to Twitter on Sunday to ask for the public’s help in finding the shooters.
1/ The public’s help is dire in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the horrendous killing of 11-year old Davon McNeal.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 5, 2020
In a tweet, police asked the public to be on the lookout for a black sedan seen fleeing the scene through an alley. Newsham said police will release more details and images to the public as the investigation continues.