FCPS, FCPD accused of tipping off teen murder suspect about DC Police investigation
by Tom
Roussey
Fri, December 8th 2023, 10:53 PM EST
...
WASHINGTON
(7News) — In court filings, a D.C. detective accused Fairfax County’s
police and public schools of essentially tipping off a teen murder suspect that
police were investigating him. But police and the school system are firing
back, saying it would not have been safe to allow a murder suspect to keep
coming to school.
24-year-old Diamonte
Lewis was shot and killed outside Nellie’s Sports Bar at 900 U Street NW a
little after 3:30 a.m. October 21.
D.C.’s Metropolitan
Police Department later released video of three suspects, and in a court filing
this week police identified one of them as 16-year-old Ashton Inabinet of the
Mt. Vernon area of Fairfax County.
They said surveillance
images show him firing a gun, and he continued to fire even as Lewis was
falling, then took a bag from him.
After putting out the
surveillance video on October 31, D.C. Police said on November 14, they
received information that led them to look into a West Potomac High student in
Fairfax County. On November 28, a school resource officer there identified the
student as Ashton Inabinet.
A D.C. detective writes
in court papers that on that same day, the high school told county police to go
to Inabinet’s residence to ban him from school.
Seven days later on
December 5, police executed a search warrant at the home. They said a 9mm
pistol was used in the homicide, and although at the home they found five 9mm
pistols and some 9mm cartridges, they could not find a 9mm cartridge of the
same brand as cartridges recovered from the homicide scene. They also said they
found an empty gun box hidden under a dog cage. A D.C. detective wrote in court
papers she was concerned Inabinet had had time to remove evidence:
“It should be noted that
the Defendant was essentially tipped off by School Officials and Fairfax County
Police without coordinating with D.C. Homicide. On Tuesday, November 28, 2023,
West Potomac High School ordered Fairfax County Police to go to the defendant’s
residence and notify them that the defendant was not allowed to return to
school in reference to a D.C. Investigation. This information provided the
defendant approximately a week to remove evidence from the residence, such as
clothing, 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and/or 9mm ammunition of the same brand as
used during the homicide.”
But Fairfax County
Police said it wouldn’t have been safe to allow Inabinet to keep going to the
school:
“MPD homicide detectives
appeared at a Fairfax County high school on Tuesday, November 28, interacted
with a School Resource Officer and stated their intention to eventually pursue
criminal charges against a Fairfax County high school student for a recent
firearm murder in their jurisdiction. MPD detectives had not yet obtained
criminal charges. We delivered a letter authored by Superintendent Dr. Michelle
Reid banning the student, a murder suspect, from school until we received
further information. This is a preventive action we own and stand by. The
Fairfax County Police Department has a duty and responsibility to protect our
students.”
Fairfax County Public
Schools also put out a statement attributed to Superintendent Michelle Reid:
“The safety of our
schools remains our top priority and we will always act swiftly to protect our
students and staff. We continue to work collaboratively with Fairfax County
Police, who are partners in this work, and we are in agreement with their
statement...”
Also, surveillance
images allegedly of Inabinet had been out for weeks before the 16-year-old was
banned from school, so he may have already suspected police in D.C. were
investigating him.
D.C.’s chief did not
comment on her detective’s accusation the boy was tipped off by Fairfax County
when asked about it at a press conference Thursday morning.
“In all fairness to the
investigation we’ll let that play out and if there are some things that we need
to do better on our end, obviously we’ll do that,” Metropolitan Police
Department Chief Pamela Smith said.