(WASHINGTON) — A teenage suspect was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Thursday in connection with a mass shooting that killed one person and wounded three others, police said.
The 15-year-old boy, who lives in the northwestern part of the U.S. capital, was taken into custody by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was then transported to a juvenile processing center where he was charged with first degree murder while armed, according to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, which did not release the suspect’s name.
The charge stems from a deadly shooting that took place in Northwest D.C. on the night of June 19 during a music festival called Moechella, which was calling for racial and social justice while celebrating Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Police said they were ordering organizers to shut down the large event when suddenly gunshots rang out in the area. Police said they located a 15-year-old boy, a woman and two men, including a Metropolitan Police Department officer, who had all been struck by gunfire.
The victims were rushed to area hospitals for treatment. The 15-year-old boy, identified as Chase Poole, ultimately died from his injuries, while the three other victims were treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Poole is one of 856 children ages 12 to 17 who have died from gun violence so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings in the United States from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources. Another 216 children who were 11 years old or younger have died from guns in 2022.
In a statement on June 21, Moechella organizers called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” and expressed their condolences to the victims and their families.
“Moechella has always been a peaceful demonstration of our constitutionally protected right of assembly and free speech under the 1st amendment,” the organizers added. “The purpose of this demonstration has always been to speak out against the social inequities plaguing Washington, D.C., like gun violence, like the lack of resources for the underserved community, police brutality and the need for D.C. statehood.”
Police said the Juneteenth shooting remains under investigation and that a reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099. In addition, information may be submitted anonymously to the department’s text tip line by sending a text message to 50411.
ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.
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