A 17-year-old was arrested 15 months after 14-year-old Zytina Mason-Brown was fatally shot inside a Northeast Washington apartment.
WASHINGTON — A 17-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder while armed in the death of an eighth grader who was shot while making social media videos in a Northeast Washington apartment in May 2025, authorities said.
Zytina Mason-Brown, 14, of Clinton, Maryland, was shot May 21, 2025, in the 1700 block of Benning Road NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officers responded at about 5:08 p.m. and found her unconscious and not breathing with a gunshot wound. D.C. Fire and EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. More than a year later, police arrested the juvenile suspect on Aug. 26, 2026, under a D.C. Superior Court pre-petition custody order.
The case changed significantly after Mason-Brown’s death. Early accounts indicated that teenagers who were with her said she had shot herself. WJLA reported that the boy who is now accused in her death initially told investigators that Mason-Brown had been making TikTok videos with a gun and claimed the shooting was self-inflicted. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined on Aug. 19, 2025, that Mason-Brown’s death was a homicide.
At a court hearing Aug. 27, a detective testified that the final autopsy findings showed Mason-Brown had been shot by someone else, WJLA reported. Investigators also described a change in the account given by another girl who had been inside the apartment. The witness had initially supported the claim that Mason-Brown shot herself but later gave investigators a different version of what happened, according to the station.
Under that later account, Mason-Brown was recording videos when the boy, who was 15 at the time, began dancing close to her, according to testimony reported by WJLA. The witness said Mason-Brown pushed him away, returned the gun to him and sat down. Investigators allege the boy then sat across from Mason-Brown and shot her. Those details are allegations presented as part of the investigation and have not been established at trial.
The teenager had initially faced a gun-possession charge after the shooting, according to WJLA. Police did not publicly announce a homicide charge until Aug. 26, about 15 months after Mason-Brown’s death. The Metropolitan Police Department identified the accused only as a 17-year-old male from Southeast Washington and did not release his name because he is a juvenile.
A judge found probable cause at the Aug. 27 hearing for the murder case to move forward, WJLA reported. The finding allows the case to continue but is not a determination of guilt. Police have publicly announced a charge of second-degree murder while armed. Authorities have not released an official motive, and the Metropolitan Police Department’s arrest announcement did not provide the evidence that led investigators to obtain the custody order.
Mason-Brown’s relatives had questioned the early explanation of her death. Her grandmother, Michelle Brown, and aunt, Dawna Cooke, told FOX 5 DC that they felt relief after learning an arrest had been made. The station reported that Mason-Brown was an eighth grader who had talked about becoming a beautician and a real estate agent.
The case also highlights the long gap between the shooting and the arrest. Police sought information after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, while investigators continued reviewing what happened inside the apartment. Reporting on the court hearing indicated that investigators examined witness statements and social media material while working to determine the circumstances surrounding Mason-Brown’s death.
As of Aug. 30, the 17-year-old remained accused of second-degree murder while armed, and the case was moving forward after the probable-cause finding. Because the accused is a juvenile, additional court scheduling and identifying information have not been made publicly available. The charge remains an allegation unless established through the judicial process.
Author note: Last updated August 30, 2026.