A D.C. gunman was killed by his sidekick’s weapon during a botched home invasion, new court documents reveal.
Jaren Holley, the robbery suspect who fled the scene while his partner lay bleeding to death, was captured over the weekend and charged with first-degree burglary while armed.
Charging documents revealed that it was Holley’s gun that was used by the robbery victim to shoot and kill the second suspect, 21-year-old Joel Johnson.
Police said Holley, 21, shouted at Johnson to shoot the victim before Johnson was fatally shot.
Holley, who had jumped from the third-story bedroom window and fled, was arrested Saturday by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Charging documents reveal more details about the incident.
Police say Johnson and Holley waited at the apartment complex on the 4200 block of First Street SE, then followed their target to his third-floor residence.
The victim, carrying groceries in both hands, entered his apartment and tried to shut and lock the door when Holley and Johnson forced their way in. Both men were armed with handguns.
Holley pistol-whipped the victim, demanded money and ordered the man to the floor.
A woman who was in the house fled to a back bedroom with Johnson behind her. She jumped from the bedroom window and suffered a broken right ankle.
At the same time, a struggle ensued between Holley and the male victim.
When Johnson returned to the living room, the victim had Holley’s revolver.
“Shoot that [expletive],” Holley yelled at Johnson, court documents say.
But it was too late. As Johnson moved his arm up, the victim turned to Johnson and fatally shot him in the head from close range, documents said.
Johnson fell dead to the apartment floor. Holley jumped out of the bedroom window.
Johnson had made headlines previously for his role in the 2010 slaying of popular D.C. middle school principal Brian Betts. Johnson was convicted of being an accessory to murder after the fact, sentenced to 18 months and was released from prison in April.
Detectives were looking into whether Wednesday’s attack was connected to a similar attack earlier in the week, just blocks away. In that case, a man and woman were forced into an apartment on First Street SW, tied up and robbed. The woman was sexually assaulted.
