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The family of a 14-year-old Washington, D.C., girl who was initially believed by police to have accidentally shot herself says an arrest in her killing brings a measure of relief after they spent months insisting Zytina Mason-Brown did not take her own life.
Police have taken a 17-year-old male suspect into custody in connection with Mason-Brown’s death. Authorities allege the teen was inside the apartment when Mason-Brown was fatally shot.
“I’m feeling — I don’t want to say happy because it’s not a joyous occasion, I just wish we didn’t have to go through this — but I’m feeling satisfied that D.C. police did apprehend the suspect,” Mason-Brown’s grandmother, Michelle Brown, told FOX5 DC. “And they did their job on this one.”
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Mason-Brown, an eighth grader who dreamed of becoming a beautician and real estate agent, was killed on May 21, 2025. (Handout via FOX5 DC WTTG)
The arrest marks a major turn in a case that Mason-Brown’s family questioned from the beginning.
Mason-Brown, an eighth grader who dreamed of becoming a beautician and real estate agent, was killed May 21, 2025, inside an apartment at the Benning Courts Pentacle complex in the 1700 block of Benning Road Northeast, across from Hechinger Mall.
Police initially characterized the shooting as an accident, saying Mason-Brown had apparently shot herself while recording a video for social media.
A D.C. Metropolitan Police vehicle is seen along the intersection of 14th St. NW and U St. in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 14, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images)
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Her family did not believe that account.
Months after the shooting, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner officially ruled Mason-Brown’s death a homicide in August 2025.
“We knew that Zytina did not kill herself,” her aunt Dawna Cooke told FOX5DC. “And I really want to thank the Metropolitan Police Department for fighting so hard to come to the conclusion and get the suspect in custody.”
The family thanked police for continuing its investigation into the shooting and coming to a conclusion that could lead to justice for the 14-year-old girl. (Getty Images, File)
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Details about the 17-year-old suspect’s identity and upcoming court appearances have not been made public because of juvenile privacy laws.
