Investigators say community tips, video and forensic evidence helped build a case after the April deaths of two young Washington residents.
WASHINGTON — The fatal shooting of two boys outside a Northeast Washington convenience store was an alleged act of retaliation tied to a neighborhood dispute, police say, as new charges provide a clearer picture of what investigators believe led to the April attack.
Authorities have charged Antonio Terry, 18, and Markell Woodings, 20, both of Southeast Washington, with two counts each of first-degree premeditated murder while armed in the deaths of Tyale Coates, 14, and Mhilo Young, 12. Terry was arrested Oct. 25 and Woodings a day later. The charges remain allegations, and neither man has been convicted in the case.
Police say Coates and Young were outside the Circle 7 Express in the 700 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE on the afternoon of April 14 when a stolen black Honda Accord arrived. According to court documents described by local news organizations, three masked people got out of the vehicle and fired toward people gathered in the parking lot before fleeing. Police were called at about 3:27 p.m.
Coates died at the scene, while Young was taken to a hospital and later died. Investigators have said the two boys were not believed to have been personally targeted because of something they had done. Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said authorities instead believe the attack grew from retaliation involving different neighborhoods. Witness accounts cited in charging documents linked the violence to another shooting days earlier.
That distinction has become a central part of the case described by investigators: The boys appear to have been caught in violence driven by where they were associated with rather than by a personal dispute with the alleged attackers. Police have not publicly established every detail of the earlier conflict, and the prosecution’s allegations will still have to be tested in court.
Building the case took more than six months. Investigators faced an early obstacle because security cameras at the convenience store were not working when the shooting occurred, according to earlier reporting. Police nevertheless gathered other material from the area, including images and video supplied by community members, witness information and forensic evidence. Carroll said tips from people familiar with the area were instrumental in helping detectives develop suspects.
Investigators also tracked a vehicle they believed had been used in the shooting. Police later found what they believed was the stolen getaway car burned in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Court documents and police statements have described multiple people taking part in the attack, and authorities have said the investigation remains open even after the arrests of Terry and Woodings.
The killings struck a school community already dealing with the loss of two children. Coates was an eighth grader at KIPP DC Valor Academy, and Young was a former student there. School officials said after the shooting that both boys were cherished members of the Valor Academy community and that counseling and support services were being provided to students and staff.
The deaths also came during a deadly period in the District. At the time, the killings of Coates and Young were among several homicides recorded over a five-day stretch in April. The ages of the victims and the daytime setting intensified public concern, with residents and community advocates expressing grief over children being killed while gathered near a neighborhood business during spring break.
Terry appeared in D.C. Superior Court following his arrest and was ordered held without bond after a judge found probable cause. A preliminary hearing was reported as scheduled for Nov. 9. His attorney has stressed that Terry is presumed innocent and said the court process should be allowed to proceed. Immediate court-scheduling information for Woodings was not initially released.
The Metropolitan Police Department continues to classify the double homicide as an active investigation. Police have said rewards of up to $25,000 per victim remain available for information leading to an arrest and conviction, bringing the possible total to $50,000. Authorities have not announced that every person suspected of participating in the shooting is in custody.
Author note: Last updated October 27, 2026.