Suspected teen killer brags on Instagram after murder; mother watches son open fire: DC court report
WASHINGTON - A suspected teen killer from D.C. bragged on an Instagram live stream days after allegedly murdering a 14-year-old boy, according to a court report that also claims the suspect’s mother watched as her son opened fire.
Police arrested 17-year-old Lorenzo Thompson and charged him as an adult with second degree murder in connection with the November 3 shooting that left Niko Estep dead.
Court reports say Thompson was observed on an Instagram live stream on November 6 where he appeared to brag about the killing of the 14-year-old. The report says that in the video, Thompson referenced Estep by his nickname and said words to the effect that he had "Got him."
Police arrested 17-year-old Lorenzo Thompson and charged him as an adult with second degree murder in connection with the November 3 shooting that left Niko Estep dead.
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The court report also says Thompson showed "no remorse" in the video and appeared to celebrate with others while performing a macabre reenactment of the shooting.
Officers arrested Thompson on November 9 and say they recovered a 9mm magazine from a backpack that was inside his bedroom in a University Place apartment.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of a gas station on 14th Street around 11:30 p.m., and detectives say multiple surveillance camera captured Thompson open fire that night.
In one particularly chilling image released in the report, Thompson can be seen pointing his weapon while a woman, identified by police as his mother, watches from just a few feet away.
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The woman, wearing a white jacket and hat, appears to look in the direction of the shots being fired without intervening.
After the shooting, officials say Thompson, his mother, and another person fled the area to an apartment on University Place.
Estep was able to run about a block away, to the corner of 14th Street and Fairmont Street, where he collapsed in the middle of the street. He was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later from his injuries.
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A second juvenile who was wounded in the shooting was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation is continuing at this time. Police have recorded 243 homicides in the District so far this year, a 34 percent increase from last year.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently declared a public emergency in the District saying her office will utilize new tools to combat two critical issues plaguing the city: the ongoing opioid crisis and the rise youth violence.