A 20-year-old D.C. man, Carlton Simon, has been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old classmate in an incident that happened in broad daylight on May 29. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the arrest, with the initial court appearance taking place on September 16, where Simon was ordered to be held without bond.
During the appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Heide L. Herrmann, it was established there was probable cause for Simon's second-degree murder while armed charge, stemming from the confrontation that ended the life of Angel Dominguez on Florida Avenue, according to details reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Court documents detail how Simon with a firearm accosted Dominguez, put him in a chokehold after Dominguez tried to walk away, and then shot him in the chest leading to fatal injuries.
The tragic circumstances of the case have brought to light another instance of youth violence in the city, which Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department also acknowledged during the announcement of the arrest. The case, which has touched the community deeply, is currently under the investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rashmika Nedungadi.
While the charges against Simon are serious and the community is grappling with the aftermath, it is important to remember that these charges are "merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," as mentioned in the official statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Simon's trial will be the next step in determining his culpability in an event that has once again cast a long shadow over the sense of security in Northwest D.C. neighborhoods.
