A jury in Washington, D.C., has found Nyjell Outler, 22, guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed for the shooting death of Demetris Johnson in March 2021. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Outler was also convicted of aggravated assault while armed for shooting Daloni Williams at the same event. Superior Court Judge Jason Park has scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2025.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that on March 20, 2021, Outler attended a gender-reveal party with an AK-style rifle concealed in a backpack. After mingling with guests for over half an hour, he drew the weapon and approached Johnson and Williams among others standing in the driveway area. As Williams attempted to intervene by gesturing to put away the gun, Outler shot him twice at close range before turning his attention to Johnson and another individual who were trying to flee. Johnson was fatally wounded in the back and died at the scene.
At that time, Outler was wearing a GPS monitor from a prior arrest involving another firearm incident in February 2021. He removed this device approximately two hours after fleeing Madison Street NE and evaded capture for nearly a year until his arrest in Florida following an anonymous tip.
U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith praised the Metropolitan Police Department's investigative efforts as well as those of the U.S. Marshals Service task force officers involved in apprehending Outler. They also acknowledged contributions from various members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office team who supported case proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Clark, Kristian Hinson, and Yasmin Emrani led both investigation and prosecution efforts on this case.
