A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of 14-year-old Zytina Mason-Brown, who was allegedly fatally shot while making TikTok videos in 2025.

Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in the 1700 block of Benning Road on May 21, 2025, at approximately 5:08 p.m. local time, according to a press release issued by the department on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Upon arriving on the scene, police found “a juvenile female victim, unconscious and not breathing,” who was “suffering from a critical gunshot wound.”

The victim, who was later identified as Zytina, was declared dead at the scene.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Zytina’s death a homicide on Aug. 19, 2025, per the MPD release.
Zytina Mason-Brown.thefaysonfirm
More than a year later, on Aug. 26, police arrested a 17-year-old male in connection with the incident. The suspect was charged with second-degree murder while armed, per the police press release.

While testifying in court during a post-arrest hearing on Thursday, Aug. 27, an MPD detective said that the suspect, who was 15 at the time of the 2025 incident, initially told police that Zytina had accidentally shot herself while playing with a gun that he had obtained from his uncle, per ABC 7.

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A female witness who was also in the room during the fatal incident corroborated the boy’s account at the time, per the detective.

However, the witness came forward to police months later and provided new, conflicting details about the incident, per the detective, according to ABC 7.

The witness said Zytina had been making TikTok videos when the suspect began dancing close to her. The witness claimed Zytina pushed the boy away from her, at which point he shot her.

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The witness said the boy’s mother began knocking on the door after hearing the gunshot, and the boy told the witness not to speak. Police were then called, per the detective, according to ABC 7.

Police said the witness was arrested in June for lying to authorities, according to the outlet.

The MPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.