More than six years after a deadly burst of gunfire rattled downtown Washington, Jaykell Mason has admitted he was the shooter. Mason, now 26, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed and assault on a police officer while armed in the Feb. 13, 2020 killing of Terence Dantzler near Gallery Place.
The plea marks a major turn in a case that has crawled through D.C. Superior Court since the height of the pandemic. According to WJLA, Mason entered his guilty pleas on June 26, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2026, after prosecutors announced the development through the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Court filings and early news reports describe a brief, brutal encounter on a busy sidewalk. Mason confronted Dantzler, shot him in the head, then fired twice more after Dantzler fell, according to The Washington Post.
Metropolitan Police officers who were already nearby heard the shots, chased the gunman and exchanged fire with him. Officers hit Mason in the hand before taking him into custody, according to local television coverage at the time.
Years Of Hearings And Setbacks
The case did not move quickly. Court dockets show a long string of pretrial motions, from psychiatric and competency evaluations to back-and-forth over plea offers that never stuck. DC Witness reports that Mason rejected earlier plea deals, while defense lawyers pressed for mental health reviews and other rulings as both sides geared up for trial.
All of that legal wrangling helps explain why a 2020 homicide case is only now ending in a guilty plea, with sentencing still months away.
What The Law Says About “While Armed”
Under District law, a murder while armed conviction opens the door to long prison terms. D.C. statutes include separate "while armed" provisions that can tack on mandatory minimums and increase maximum penalties, depending on the facts of the case and the weapon involved. The framework is laid out in D.C. Code § 22-4502 and the general felony sentencing rules in § 24-403.01, which guide how judges calculate potential custody ranges.
Sentencing in Mason’s case is set for Oct. 2, 2026. Until then, lawyers are expected to prepare sentencing memos and victim impact materials. In the days after the shooting, Dantzler’s family spoke openly about their grief, with his father telling reporters he was “absolutely crushed” by his son’s death. WTOP recorded those remarks when the killing first drew citywide attention.
