Teen Was Killed After Ignoring Gunman, Court Records Say

A 14-year-old Northeast teen walking along Minnesota Avenue with his church youth group was shot and killed last week after ignoring another teen's question, according to criminal documents filed yesterday in D.C. Superior Court.

Police charged Ransom J.H. Perry Jr., 18, of the 5300 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE with second-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death. Magistrate Judge Michael J. McCarthy ordered Perry, who had been out on release for two pending criminal cases, held until his next hearing, on March 16.

The victim, Arthur Daniels, and his friends were approached by two young men as they walked to McDonald's about 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 28. The group kept walking even after the men asked twice which neighborhood they were from, according to court documents.

"They're ignoring you; just bust them," one witness heard just before a shot was fired. Daniels's friends ran but realized that the teen lay wounded. Daniels was shot once in the back, and the bullet exited his neck, court records say.

One witness identified Perry as the shooter and said he was wearing a black, red and gray North Face jacket and bluejeans, according to the charging documents.

Perry had been arrested twice this year. On Jan. 18, he was charged with carrying a loaded and concealed handgun in his waistband. According to court records, witnesses overheard Perry discussing an earlier robbery. He was released and ordered to appear on Feb. 10. A week later, Perry was arrested after he got into an argument with his father, Ransom Perry Sr., in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. Perry was released again, and told to report to court on Feb. 13.

In both incidents, Perry gave his Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue address, which led police to search his home after witnesses linked him to the homicide. During a search of his home Wednesday by police, officers found a red, black and gray North Face jacket, numerous live ammunition cartridges, a ski mask and several cellphones, according to court records.