A jury in Washington, D.C., has found Nyjell Outler guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed for the 2021 shooting death of Demetris Johnson. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Outler, 22, was also convicted of aggravated assault while armed for shooting Daloni Williams during the same incident. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2025, by Superior Court Judge Jason Park.
The incident occurred on March 20, 2021, at a gender-reveal party on Madison Street NE. Evidence presented at trial revealed that Outler arrived with an AK-style rifle concealed in a backpack. After spending some time at the party, he retrieved the weapon and shot Williams twice from close range when approached by him. Outler then fired two more shots as Johnson and another individual attempted to flee, hitting Johnson in the back. Johnson succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Williams required emergency surgery and months of physical therapy following his injuries. At the time of the shooting, Outler was wearing a GPS monitor due to a prior arrest involving a similar weapon. He evaded capture for nearly a year after cutting off his GPS device but was eventually apprehended in Florida in February 2022 after being listed among the U.S. Marshal Service’s Top 15 most wanted.
U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in investigating and capturing Outler, including officers from the Metropolitan Police Department and task force officers from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Acknowledgment was also given to those from the U.S. Attorney’s Office who contributed to building the case: Paralegal Specialists Mabry Johnson and Sharon Newman; Victim/Witness Advocate Latrice Washington-Williams; Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Katina Adams Washington and Shanika McCullough; Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin; as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Clark, Kristian Hinson, and Yasmin Emrani who prosecuted the case.