14-Year-Old Zytina Mason-Brown Shot Dead in D.C. After Rejecting Classmate's Dance Advances

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder in the May 2025 shooting death of 14-year-old Zytina Mason-Brown in Washington, D.C.

8th Grader Killed After Pushing Away Boy Who Tried to Dance Near Her During TikTok Session

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder while armed in the death of 14-year-old Zytina Mason-Brown in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Police Department announced. Law & Crime reports that the suspect, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, initially told police the victim had shot herself.

On May 21, 2025, at around 5 p.m., officers responded to an apartment on the 1700 block of Benning Road following a report of a shooting. They found Zytina unconscious and not breathing, with a critical gunshot wound to the head. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene. The suspect was charged at that time with gun possession.

The boy's account to police was that Zytina, an eighth grader, had been filming TikTok videos, that he had stolen a gun from his uncle, and that she had been handling the weapon when she accidentally shot herself in the head, local ABC affiliate WJLA reported.

The case shifted significantly in the months that followed. On Aug. 19, 2025, the medical examiner ruled Zytina's death a homicide, with evidence indicating another person had fired the shot.

A second girl who had been present in the apartment also came forward with a revised account. According to this witness, Zytina was filming with the gun nearby when the suspect moved close to her and began dancing. She pushed him away, handed him the gun, and sat down. The suspect then sat across from her and fired the weapon.

The shooting took place at the boy's own home. His mother was present in the apartment and knocked on the bedroom door after the gun went off, per WJLA. The suspect instructed the witness to stay quiet before they called police together.

Authorities have since reviewed social media messages and photographs of Zytina's body as part of the investigation. Other individuals may also have been present in the room at the time of the shooting. The suspect has not been named by authorities due to his age.

Source: Law & Crime