Block Party Turns Into Bloodbath: Teen Killed, 4-Year-Old Among 4 Wounded in Lexington Park Shooting
A 16-year-old was killed and four others, including a 4-year-old, were wounded when gunfire tore through a neighborhood festival at a Lexington, Kentucky park Saturday night. An 18-year-old is now charged with murder.
A community festival in Lexington, Kentucky, turned into a crime scene Saturday night after gunfire broke out in a city park, killing a 16-year-old boy and wounding four other people, including a 4-year-old child. By Sunday, police had an 18-year-old suspect in custody, charged with murder.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday at Charles Young Park during Eastend Days, an annual neighborhood gathering, according to Lexington police. Di'Zhon Robertson, 16, was rushed to UK Hospital with a gunshot wound and later died. Four other people were hit — a 4-year-old, a 14-year-old and two adults — all of whom survived with non-life-threatening injuries, according to NBC News.
Lexington police arrested Jametrius M. Griffin, 18, on Sunday and charged him with murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence, according to LEX18. He is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center.
A 16-YEAR-OLD IS DEAD. A 4-YEAR-OLD IS AMONG THE WOUNDED.
Eastend Days is a longstanding summer tradition in Lexington's East End neighborhood, drawing families for music, food and community events; Saturday's shooting happened as the event was winding down for the evening. Investigators have not publicly detailed a motive or said whether Griffin knew any of the victims.
Part of a Grim National Pattern
The shooting adds Lexington to a growing list of American cities where gunfire has broken out at outdoor summer gatherings this year, from block parties to festivals, often catching bystanders — including small children — in the crossfire. Community events like Eastend Days, designed to bring neighbors together, have increasingly become flashpoints in cities grappling with gun violence.
Lexington police urged anyone with information to come forward, asking witnesses to contact the department directly or report anonymously through Bluegrass Crime Stoppers. Griffin was expected to appear in court for an arraignment hearing this week; police have not said whether additional arrests are anticipated.
The shooting is the latest to strike a Kentucky community this summer and comes as city leaders across the state continue to grapple with gun violence at public gatherings, from festivals to parks, that draw large crowds of families and children.