WASHINGTON, DC — A 22-year-old Washington man was sentenced Friday to 24 and a half years in prison for fatally shooting a guest and seriously injuring another during a 2021 gender-reveal party where he pulled an AK-style weapon from a backpack and opened fire in front of dozens of attendees.
Nyjell Outler was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault while armed in connection to the March 20, 2021, killing of 21-year-old Demetris Johnson and the shooting of Daloni Williams. The shooting happened in the driveway of a home on Madison Street, Northeast, while a celebration was underway just feet away.
According to trial evidence, Outler arrived at the party carrying a Draco-style firearm concealed in a backpack. After mingling with guests for over 30 minutes, he stepped away from the driveway, pulled the weapon out, and returned to confront three men. When Williams appeared to gesture for Outler to put the weapon away, Outler raised the gun and shot him twice at point-blank range.
He then fired at Johnson and another man as they attempted to flee. One round struck Johnson in the back, killing him in the backyard of the home. Williams survived after emergency surgery and endured a lengthy recovery.
Outler, who had been released on GPS monitoring for a previous firearms charge involving another Draco rifle just weeks before the shooting, fled the scene and cut off his monitor. He remained a fugitive for 11 months, eventually making the U.S. Marshals’ Top 15 Most Wanted list before being arrested in Florida in February 2022.
At sentencing, Judge Jason Park acknowledged the brutality of the incident and the disruption it caused to a community event. Prosecutors had requested a 35-year sentence, citing Outler’s violent criminal history and additional offenses committed after fleeing DC.
Outler will also serve a term of supervised release following his prison sentence.
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Key Points
- Nyjell Outler sentenced to 24½ years for deadly 2021 shooting at a DC gender-reveal party
- He used an AK-style Draco rifle to kill one man and injure another before fleeing
- Outler cut off his GPS monitor and evaded capture for nearly a year before arrest in Florida
Gunman who opened fire at DC gender-reveal party sentenced after months on US Marshals’ most wanted list