A 17-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the death of Zytina Mason-Brown after she died in 2025 when she was allegedly shot while filming TikTok videos.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia said in a press release on Wednesday, August 26, that officers responded to a report of a shooting at a home Benning Road around 5:08 p.m. on May 21, 2025.
Once police arrived at the scene, they found “a juvenile female victim” who was “unconscious and not breathing.” The victim was also “suffering from a critical gunshot wound.”
The victim, who was eventually identified as 14-year-old Mason-Brown, was declared dead at the scene.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Mason-Brown died by homicide months after her death on August 19, 2025, according to the news release.
More than one year later, police arrested a 17-year-old male in connection with the incident. Authorities said that the suspect was charged with second-degree murder while armed.
A post-arrest hearing was held on Thursday, August 27, and a MPD detective testified that the suspect initially told police that Mason-Brown accidentally shot herself while playing with a gun that he got from his uncle, according to ABC 7.
The detective said that a female, who was in the room at the time of Mason-Brown’s death, corroborated the suspect’s account at first.
However, the witness went to police months later and provided new details that conflicted with the suspect’s version of events.
The witness said that Mason-Brown was making TikTok videos when the suspect – who was 15 years old at the time – started to dance close to her. Mason-Brown then allegedly pushed the boy away from her, and he responded by shooting her, according to the witness.
The detective said that the witness claimed the boy’s mother started knocking on the door after she heard the gunshot, and the boy allegedly instructed the witness not to speak. Police were called to the scene soon after.
Police also said that the witness was arrested in June after allegedly lying to authorities, according to ABC 7.
Due to the suspect’s age, police have not publicly identified him, and it’s not currently clear if he will be charged as an adult.
It’s also not currently clear if the suspect has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Metropolitan Police Department had no additional updates to share when contacted by Us.
