A Washington, D.C., man who opened fire at a gender reveal party with an AK-style rifle — killing one man and injuring another — has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison.
The Sentencing
Nyjell Outler, 22, received a 24 ½-year prison sentence for the death of Demetris Johnson, 21, and the near-fatal shooting of Daloni Williams, prosecutors announced.
A jury convicted Outler in March of:
Voluntary manslaughter while armed
Aggravated assault
The Shooting
The attack happened on March 20, 2021, at a home on Madison Street in Washington, D.C. Outler arrived at the gender reveal party around 7:45 p.m. carrying a backpack with a Draco AK-style rifle.
After about 30 minutes, he stepped away, pulled out the weapon, and returned to the driveway where the victims were standing. Dozens of other people were also at the party.
Prosecutors said Williams stepped toward Outler as if to tell him to put the gun away. Instead, Outler shot him twice at point-blank range.
Outler then fired at Johnson, who was trying to run away. One bullet hit him in the back, killing him instantly.
Williams survived after emergency surgery and months of physical therapy, though he nearly lost his leg.
Fugitive on the Run
At the time of the shooting, Outler was already wearing a GPS monitor for a prior firearm conviction from February 2021. He cut off the monitor and went on the run for nearly a year.
He was placed on the U.S. Marshals Service’s Top 15 Most Wanted list before being arrested in Florida in February 2022, thanks to an anonymous tip.
The tragic shooting turned what should have been a joyful celebration into a night of horror. With his conviction and long prison sentence, prosecutors say the community is safer, but the victims’ families will carry the pain forever.
