Teen's Slaying Inflames Anger, Fear

Gunman Targeted Girl Who Shielded Tot, D.C. Police Say

Antonio Jackson hates the street culture that killed his cousin: hard stares, petty beefs after go-gos and the code of silence that rules in murder's aftermath.

So when more than 100 people gathered around the spot where Cynthia Gray, 17, died in an execution-style killing on Benning Road in Southeast Washington, he lashed out in anger -- at thugs who kill without fear, at indifferent police officers, at a national government distracted by terrorism and wars and at neighbors and friends who are too afraid to speak up.

Gray died late Thursday protecting her 7-month-old godson, pushing him under a parked car seconds before she was shot in the face and head, police said. Police have made no arrests and have no suspects in the case.

"Somebody out here knows something about who did this," Jackson, 27, shouted as candles flickered against the all-too-familiar backdrop of heart-shaped balloons, pastel teddy bears and cognac bottles. "Y'all black people got to take the streets back."

Young girls sobbed heavily in the arms of loved ones during Friday night's vigil. Young men threatened retribution and scoffed at a resident who tried to get everyone to sing "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," the 1970s peace anthem. "It's too late for all that," one young man interrupted as members of the crowd began to gather and hold hands.

On display were the raw emotions that follow violent death: the exasperation, the fear, the frustration, the sense of alienation.

This killing garnered widespread attention and outrage because the victim was a 17-year-old girl whose last act was saving the life of a baby. The infant was not harmed. A 19-year-old woman and two 18-year-old men were wounded in the shooting but are expected to survive, police said.

Gray and the other teenagers were hanging out when the first gunshot was fired about 11:30 p.m. from a car. Police said yesterday that they believe Gray was targeted because the gunman got out of the car, passed by the three other victims who were on the ground bleeding, walked up to Gray and shot her several times at close range.

"There was an opportunity to kill everybody," said Capt. C.V. Morris, head of the police department's violent crimes unit. "This was done methodically."

Morris said police have yet to identify a motive, adding: "It was so vicious. It is very odd for a 17-year-old girl to get shot in the face several times."

Eastern Senior High School Principal Shawn A. Hearn said Gray, a popular student who was about to start her senior year, will be missed when school reopens tomorrow. Grief counselors will be available for students and teachers, he said.

Yesterday, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) visited Cynthia Gray's mother -- who is also named Cynthia Gray -- to offer his condolences. Family members were unimpressed, saying he should be doing more to protect people who live in lower-income Washington.