A 17-year-old male has been taken into custody in connection with the May 2025 death of Zytina Mason-Brown, a 14-year-old Washington, D.C., girl whose family spent months disputing the police department's initial account of her death.
Mason-Brown was killed May 21, 2025, inside an apartment at the Benning Courts Pentacle complex in the 1700 block of Benning Road Northeast, across from Hechinger Mall. Police initially characterized the shooting as accidental, saying Mason-Brown had apparently shot herself while recording a video for social media.
Her family rejected that account from the start. In August 2025, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner officially ruled her death a homicide, setting the stage for what became a nearly year-long investigation before an arrest was made.
Authorities allege the 17-year-old suspect was inside the apartment when Mason-Brown was fatally shot. Details about the suspect's identity and upcoming court appearances have not been made public because of juvenile privacy laws.
Mason-Brown's grandmother, Michelle Brown, told FOX5 DC that the arrest brought relief, though not celebration. "I'm feeling — I don't want to say happy because it's not a joyous occasion, I just wish we didn't have to go through this — but I'm feeling satisfied that D.C. police did apprehend the suspect," Brown said. "And they did their job on this one."
Mason-Brown's aunt, Dawna Cooke, also spoke to FOX5 DC after the arrest. "We knew that Zytina did not kill herself," she said. "And I really want to thank the Metropolitan Police Department for fighting so hard to come to the conclusion and get the suspect in custody."
Mason-Brown was an eighth grader who had expressed interest in becoming a beautician and real estate agent. Her case drew attention partly because of the gap between the initial police account and the family's persistent insistence that something else had happened.
