Inset: Nyjell Outler (U.S. Marshals). Background: Cops in Washington, D.C., investigate a shooting that occurred at a gender reveal party (WRC).
A Washington, D.C., man who showed up to a gender reveal party before he pulled out an AK-style rifle and opened fire, killing one man and critically injuring another, is headed to prison.
Nyjell Outler, 22, was sentenced to 24 1/2 years in prison for the death of 21-year-old Demetris Johnson and the shooting of Daloni Williams, who nearly lost his leg, the U.S. Attorney”s Office for the District of Columbia said. A jury found Outler guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault in March.
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Outler showed up at the party on Madison Street around 7:45 p.m. on March 20, 2021, carrying a backpack that contained an AK-style rifle known as a Draco. After spending about 30 minutes at the party in the driveway, Outler stepped away and pulled out the Draco. He walked back into the driveway where the victims were standing. There were also dozens of other people in the backyard and inside the home.
“When Daloni Williams took a couple steps toward the defendant with his arm extended, as if to say, ‘put that away’ the defendant raised the Draco and shot Daloni Williams twice, from point-blank range,” prosecutors wrote.
Outler then set his sights on Johnson, who was running away. He fired two shots, one of which hit Johnson in the back. First responders pronounced Johnson dead on the scene. Williams was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to save his leg, followed by months of physical therapy.
The now-convicted killer had a GPS monitor because of a prior conviction for possessing a firearm in February 2021. He cut off the monitor and spent nearly a year on the run, making it on the U.S. Marshal Service’s Top 15 Most Wanted list. An anonymous tip led to his arrest in Florida in February 2022.
