Teen Arrested in Shooting Death of 13-Year-Old

A 16-year-old Northeast Washington youth was arrested early today and charged as an adult in the June 2 slaying of a 13-year-old in Columbia Heights, police said.

Domenic Bond was charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting death of Terry Cutchin, a middle school student who police described as an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire between two warring street crews in the 1400 block of Girard Street NW.

Terry's aunt told The Washington Post that the youth left the apartment on Columbia Road, where he lived with his grandmother, about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. Terry, a straight-A student, was supposed to be spending time at a friend's home.

Instead, about 10 p.m., he was struck by bullets that police believe were fired from a dark-colored sport utility vehicle. D.C. homicide Sgt. James Somers said detectives are exploring whether there may have been more than one gunman involved in the incident. He said the shooting was related to an ongoing feud between two groups known as the 14th Street Crew and the 17th Street Crew.

It was unclear what role Bond -- who, according to police records, lives across town -- allegedly played in the shooting, or which street gang police suspect he is affiliated with.

Terry's slaying further galvanized a community already shaken by the slaying in April of an 18-year-old high school senior and other gun violence. The night before Terry was killed, a teenage girl was shot and wounded on the same block. A few days after Terry's death, an outdoor vigil was held in his memory -- and the temporary calm was shattered later that night by another shooting that left one man injured.

"Without any hyperbole, this case went to the heart of people's concern about both youth violence and the need for us to be really vigilant with our community policing," said D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who appeared with Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier to announce the arrest.

Lanier said tips from neighborhood residents led police to Bond. She hailed the cooperation as a small glimmer of hope for a long-bloodied city where frightened witnesses too often stay silent because they do not trust police and they want to avoid any personal risk.

"This, to me, feels like a turning point. The community is starting to rally behind us, and say 'enough is enough,' " Lanier said.

Because Terry was so young, and apparently uninvolved in criminal activity, police were galvanized by his case, she said. "The detectives take it personally. They personally put their heart and soul into it," Lanier said. "For many members of the Metropolitan Police Department, Terry Cutchin has kept us awake for days."

Authorities said the surveillance camera posted on the 14oo block of Girard Street did not pick up any images of the shooting.

Bond was taken into custody at 1:50 a.m. in the 1800 block of Bryant Street NE, Somers said. He was charged with second-degree murder while armed, and is scheduled to appear today in D.C. Superior Court.

Because of the arrest, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D) said at the news conference, "the neighbors can feel safer . . . we're here to breathe a sigh of relief."

Graham represents Ward 1, which includes Columbia Heights, a densely populated neighborhood north of downtown where immigrants and low-income longtime residents co-exist uneasily with a growing population of more affluent newcomers. He has repeatedly asked for a stronger police presence in the neighborhood, and patrols have been stepped up in the wake of the shootings.

Lanier and Fenty used Columbia Heights as their backdrop last week in announcing a summertime anti-crime initiative. The next day, Lanier returned to the neighborhood to hold a police roll call outdoors.

Police had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Terry's slaying. It was not immediately clear whether anyone involved in the arrest of Bond would qualify for some or all of that money.

Bond was taken into custody by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, Somers said. The unit is comprised of D.C. police officers and the U.S. Marshals Service.