Former DC employee who shot and killed 13-year-old boy takes the stand in his murder trial

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Day six of the murder trial against a former D.C. government employee ended with the accused taking the stand and claiming that he shot and killed a 13-year-old unarmed boy in self-defense.

For two hours, Jason Lewis, 42, answered questions about what he claims happened the morning of Jan. 7, 2023, on Quincy Street Northeast.

Throughout his testimony, Lewis insisted that he fired three shots in self-defense because he was, "scared for his life."

Court documents filed last year indicate that Lewis fired his gun after he believed people were breaking into cars outside of his home.

On Wednesday, Lewis said that he stepped outside of his home without his glasses but with his gun in hand after hearing someone tampering with the metal gate outside his patio. 

"It sounded like someone was coming in," Lewis told the jury.

Once he realized no one was tampering with the metal gate, Lewis is seen in surveillance video stepping out of his gate, pointing his gun, and firing. Lewis claims that he saw a person across the street in the driver's side of a car, point a handgun towards him and fire. 

"I was scared for my life. The only way to get these people away was to shoot," he told the jury.

Prosecutors had Lewis review a composite of surveillance video and audio, that included videos from Lewis' own home security system. Lewis admitted that in the video you cannot hear or see someone shooting at him, but he insisted that at that moment, he thought they did. He described seeing a flash and hearing a bang which prompted him to fire back.

Prosecutors questioned why Lewis had not reacted or ducked when he believed he was fired at, he responded that he did by shooting back. 

Lewis said that on the day of the shooting, and during the days that followed, he did not tell police that he believed someone had shot at him and that he felt threatened. When questioned by prosecutors why he had failed to provide investigators with those details he responded, "I was in shock."

Lewis fired a total of three rounds, two hit and struck Blake, who was running towards him. He testified that he did not know why the teenager was running in his direction.

Previously Lewis has testified that he did not suspect that Blake was armed and never saw him reaching for a weapon. 

"I'm sorry," Blake is heard in surveillance video telling Lewis repeatedly. 

In the video presented to the jury, Blake is also heard saying, "I'm a kid. I'm only 12."

After shooting Blake, Lewis goes inside his home and his wife is seen calling 911. She hands over the phone to her husband who tells the operator that he has a concealed carry permit.

"I wanted to save him," Lewis said as he described performing chest compressions on Blake until D.C. police arrived on scene. He told the jury that he wished Blake would have lived.

Prosecutors probed Lewis about the call he made the day of the deadly shooting to his mother, a former D.C. police officer. "I probably just murdered a child," he is told telling his mom on surveillance video. 

Lewis was unable to respond to prosecutors' questions when he was asked why he had passed the phone over to a responding officer on the scene so that he could speak to his mother. 

Prior to his testimony about the Jan. 7 incident, Lewis detailed his nearly 20 years working for the District's Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). He was terminated from his position at the Trinidad Recreation Center following the deadly shooting. 

The D.C. native specialized in programming targeting youth in areas with high crime. His initiatives included mental health services and suicide prevention. 

Closing arguments are expected on Thursday.