Journee Long was 15 and from Bowie, Maryland. She died on June 6, 2026, after being struck by a gunshot inside an apartment in the 900 block of Barnaby Street SE in Southeast Washington, D.C. The shooting occurred shortly before 7 p.m.; officers found her unconscious and not breathing and D.C. Fire and EMS pronounced her dead at the scene.

Police said Journee and a 15-year-old friend came across an illegal, unsecured handgun inside the apartment. Investigators reported the friend handled or manipulated the weapon, which discharged and struck Journee. The friend was not injured, ran for help, and was described as deeply upset; police said she had not been charged. Authorities later identified the firearm’s owner as 33-year-old J’Von Green, the friend’s godfather. Green was arrested on firearm-related charges including criminally negligent storage of a firearm and held without bond. MPD’s Homicide Branch continued the investigation.

Journee’s family remembered her as a bright, joyful teenager with plans for cosmetology school after graduation. Can anyone who knew Journee or who has information about the shooting contact investigators?