MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Deon Kay shooting: Calls for justice grow louder as Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser asked to ‘release tape’

The Internet believes Mayor Bowser was the first politician to paint the streets with Black Lives Matter in direct defiance of the White Hous: 'She is not the enemy. She will do what's right'

An 18-year-old Black man was fatally shot on Wednesday, September 2, at 4 pm by a DC police officer in Southeast Washington’s Congress Heights neighborhood. Identified as Deon Kay by family members, the death soon sparked huge protests in the capital of the United States of America.

The horrific incident took place in the 200 Block of Orange Street SE and his mother, Natasha Kay, cried hours after the shooting, “They took my baby, they just took my baby from me.” She said, “I need my son back,” adding, “I want my son back.” Now, as Twitter erupts with calls for justice against gun violence with Black Lives Matter hashtags, many turned to Mayor Muriel Elizabeth Bowser to do her part.

Calling attention to how she painted the streets with the BLM banner, people on the Internet demanded her to "release the tape and fire the cops." In a press conference earlier on Monday, August 31, Bowser pointed to “outside agitators” for spurring conflicts over the weekend between protesters and law enforcement, as per an NBC Washington report. She said she fears the US is "descending into a race war" and also stressed on how violence of any kind on the streets of DC will be not be tolerated. 

In the wake of the protests, the hashtag #JusticeforDeon soon started trending and one tweet read: "@MayorBowser RELEASE THE TAPE AND FIRE THE COPS! #JusticeForDeon." Another said, "Don't forget @MayorBowser was the first politician to paint the streets #BlackLivesMatter in direct defiance of the White House. She is not the enemy. She will do what's right."

"An 18-year-old CHILD was murdered today in the nation’s caption. There were children riding big wheels in the park where he was shot by #MPD@MayorBowser
RELEASE THE TAPE #justicefordeon #deonkay@DMVBlackLives," one tweet read. McKayla Wilkes said, "@MayorBowser release the body camera footage name and fire the cops that murdered 18-year-old Deon Kay. He just turned 18 last month. He screamed for the cops not to shoot him! Shame! #JusticeForDeon #DefundMPD." In another tweet, she said, "@MayorBowser @DCPoliceDept’s budget is half about half a billion dollars. 18 y/o Deon Kay was murdered by police. Tonight I watched his family weep in pain while your officers smirked and checked their watches as if they were bored. Do Black lives still matter? #JusticeForDeon."

One Twitter user posted: "@MayorBowser this happened under your watch. Release the tapes and fire the cops who did this! #justicefordeon," and another said, "'But Deon Kay had a gun so police had to shoot him' So did Kyle Rittenhouse. The difference is one lost their life and the other was praised by police. #JusticeForDeon."

With all the protests in the city, will Bowser release the tape and who is the officer to be blamed for his death? The big question remains: Can the officials put a stop to the gun violence on the streets in the US? Well, only time will tell. Until then, we can only hope that Deon's family gets the justice that they seek.