Jada McDowell

On September 2, 2020, Deon Kay, 18 years old, was shot and killed by Alexander Alvarez, a Metropolitan police officer in Washington DC.  

Police claimed that Kay was spotted with a firearm on social media before the incident occurred. Officers then obtained a warrant and went to pursue Deon and a friend. During the pursuit, Deon was spotted with the firearm, yet he launched the weapon out of his hand as officers approached.

The weapon exited his hand and the officer still fired shots striking Deon in the chest. Officer Alvarez was one of the officers, who had just arrived on the scene according to the bodycam footage. 

After, Alvarez, immediately went to search for the weapon that was thrown. The officer allegedly found the gun 98 feet away. Body cam footage was released, yet the weapon obtained was never shown. “This isn’t adding up” says, Mary Kay, Deon’s aunt. 

Following, a protest transpired out in front of seventh district. Officers created a wall as a barrier for protesters. Muriel Bowser, Washington DC’s Mayor, urged the people to not let “anger spill over into violence.” 

The people are calling for both the chief and the officer to both be fired. According to the Washington Post, the officer recently had a complaint filed against him, but it was later thrown out.   

Many spoke on Deon’s behalf, highlighting his mentor for years, Omar Jackson, who stated that “Kay was a young man who was trying to escape his “chaotic situation.”