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Arrest in fatal shooting of teen in DC despite lack of surveillance video

A 17-year-old has been arrested in the August 2019 fatal shooting of a teen who was found inside a vacant D.C. Housing Authority apartment.

Soon after Domonique Franklin, 16, was found with several gunshot wounds in an apartment in the 200 block of M Street Southwest, D.C. police realized the public housing complex’s security camera wasn’t working.

D.C. Police Chief Peter ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ham and Mayor Muriel Bowser had expressed frustration that a potential key piece of evidence was unavailable in a city-operated facility.

In December, police identified a suspect in the shooting — Jwhan Simpson, 17, of Gaithersburg, Maryland — said he would be charged as an adult and asked for the public’s help in finding him

On Wednesday, Simpson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.

Police have not disclosed any possible motives in the killing.

Last month, Bowser and ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ham announced plans to install 140 additional security cameras across the District, including in public housing buildings.

Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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