Jerome Smith was 14 when he was shot and killed after a robbery on January 26, 2025, in the 4000 block of South Capitol Street, Southwest, Washington, D.C. Officers nearby heard gunfire and arrived at about 2:28 p.m.; emergency services took the boy to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Surveillance footage and the preliminary Metropolitan Police Department investigation show the shooting followed an attempted robbery. Video reportedly captured the teenager running from three individuals who then exited a vehicle, robbed him, and shot him when he tried to recover his belongings. The suspects were seen in a white Kia Optima later identified as stolen, and a witness said the three tried to change clothes and clean the vehicle before leaving in a rideshare.

Police stopped the suspect vehicle and arrested three males. A 14-year-old male from Northeast, D.C., was charged with felony murder and carrying a pistol without a license; two 16-year-old males from Northeast, D.C., were charged with carrying a pistol without a license. A detective testified at a court hearing and a defense attorney called the case circumstantial; the investigation continues.

Did anyone in Southwest or Northeast D.C. see the stolen white Kia Optima that afternoon or know more about the people involved?