Investigators believe the 12- and 14-year-old victims were targeted in retaliation because of the neighborhood they came from.
WASHINGTON, DC — Two men have been charged with first-degree murder in the April killings of two boys in Northeast Washington, a shooting investigators believe was retaliation tied to a dispute between neighborhoods rather than a personal conflict with the victims.
Antonio Terry, 18, and Markell Woodings, 20, both of Southeast Washington, were arrested more than six months after 12-year-old Mhilo Young and 14-year-old Tyale Coates were fatally shot outside a convenience store on Kenilworth Avenue NE. Metropolitan Police said Monday that each man faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed. The charges are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The shooting happened about 3:27 p.m. April 14 outside the Circle 7 Express in the 700 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE. According to court documents cited by federal prosecutors, a stolen black Honda Accord pulled up near the parking lot before three masked males got out, opened fire on people gathered there and fled in the vehicle. Coates died at the scene, while Young was taken to a hospital and later died.
Investigators now believe the boys were targeted because they were associated with the Mayfair neighborhood, not because the gunmen had a personal dispute with them. Police have said the attack appeared to be retaliation for an earlier shooting connected to tensions involving the nearby Kenilworth neighborhood. Witness accounts described the April 14 shooting as payback for violence that had occurred days earlier, according to charging documents and police statements.
Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said investigators developed the case through community tips, witness accounts, video and forensic evidence. NBC Washington reported that investigators also relied on DNA recovered from shell casings and social media activity as they worked to identify suspects. Police said the stolen vehicle believed to have been used in the shooting was later found burned in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Terry was arrested Oct. 25 and appeared in D.C. Superior Court the following day. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said a judge found probable cause on the first-degree murder charge and ordered Terry held without bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9. His attorney, Todd Baldwin, urged the public to respect Terry’s presumption of innocence while the case proceeds through court.
Woodings was arrested Oct. 26 under a D.C. Superior Court warrant and was ordered held after appearing in court Tuesday. Authorities have described both arrests as part of an ongoing investigation. Police have said three masked gunmen were seen getting out of the car before the shooting, and investigators continue to seek information about another person who may have been involved.
Young and Coates had ties to KIPP DC Valor Academy. Coates was an eighth grader there, while Young was a former student, the school said after their deaths. KIPP DC described both boys as cherished members of the school community whose deaths were deeply felt by students, staff and families. Young’s football coach also remembered him as a child who loved football, music and spending time with people in his community.
Police said the double homicide remains under investigation. The department continues to offer up to $50,000 for information leading to additional arrests and convictions in the case as prosecutors move forward with the charges already filed against Terry and Woodings.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.