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District resident Malik Holston, 21, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for first-degree murder while armed for his role in the grisly shooting Gerald Watson in 2018 as the teen was going to play basketball with friends after school.
Holston was 16 years old at the time of the fatal shooting.
At approximately 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2018, Holston and a second assailant, armed and wearing masks, chased Watson through a parking lot near buildings in the 2900 block of Knox Place SE, prosecutors said, and into a multi-unit apartment building.
Holston followed the teen inside, while the second assailant set up shop outside the building.
Inside, officials say that Holston was able to corner Watson on the top landing of the complex and shot him 16 times with a .40 caliber revolver. He and the second suspect then fled the area.
Watson was taken to an area hospital, where he died less than an hour later from his injuries.
According to officials, “the shooting took place shortly after Watson returned home from school and headed outside to play basketball. Within about five minutes of leaving home, the shooting occurred.”
Holston was arrested days after the shooting on Dec. 18, 2018. The second unnamed suspect shot and killed himself in September 2019.
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