A Maryland law firm is calling for a full investigation Tuesday following the U.S. Park Police shooting death of a 17-year-old father in D.C. over the weekend.
"Dalaneo Martin was just 17 years old when he was brutally murdered at the hands of a Park Police Officer, leaving a five-month old child without a father," said a statement from the A. Clarke Law Group. "We are calling for a full investigation of the officers involved in this shooting. These officers need to be held accountable for taking another black child from our community."
Authorities said Dalaneo Martin was in a stolen car when officers tried to detain him, and he took off.
U.S. Park Police Public Information Officer Thomas Twiname said an officer was trapped in the car, and a sergeant was dragged. At some point, Twiname said the officer in the car fired his weapon, and Martin was shot.
Below is the full release from A. Clarke Law Group:
"On March 18, 2023, another shooting death occurred in the District of Columbia. Dalaneo Martin was just 17 years old when he was brutally murdered at\ the hands of a Park Police Officer, leaving a five-month old child without a father. We are calling for a full investigation of the officers involved in this shooting. These officers need to be held accountable for taking another black child from our community. “Black people across the country are under attack from a policing system that criminalizes them, strips resources, and then justifies their killing,” said Jade E. Mathis, Attorney for the Martin Family.
Mr. Martin’s mother, Terra Martin, is grieving right now. She has begged the city for services for her son without assistance. Just like most youth in the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin was not perfect. Placing property over people has to stop.
“We have created a culture that fears young black children in our society. How can we send our black children into the world knowing that they are targets? People walk across the street when they see our black children. Officers “jump out” on our black children assuming they are armed. Our black children are labeled as troubled, lost, and without hope. Officers view our black children as criminals because of the color of their skin, their associations, and the neighborhood in which they reside” said Andrew O. Clarke, Attorney for the Martin Family. As we wait for more information, our office vows that we will not stop protecting the citizens of the DMV from over policing, aggressive policing, and officers that think it’s okay to shoot first and ask questions last.
Ms. Martin has been an advocate for her community for years. Recently, she was advocating to build a relationship between police in the District of Columbia and the communities in which they serve. Unfortunately, she is now a victim of circumstances she was advocating to prevent. Another senseless killing by a police officer. Just last week, she spoke with the mother of another young black man killed by police, not knowing that she would soon be on the receiving end of those condolences. “Give a uniform to someone and they want to take the law into their own hands,” said Terra Martin. There are too many mothers of black children across the country sharing these same sentiments.
The family is planning a vigil for Mr. Martin in the next coming week. We will keep you updated on the time and location."
7News also spoke with the woman who said she owned the vehicle involved in the incident.
Porshia McCullum tells 7News she last saw her car on Friday, March 11, parked at Capitol One Arena, where she works. The next time she saw her car was Saturday, March 18--crashed into a home on the 300 block of 36th Street.
"I’m in awe that anyone died over a vehicle, you know what I mean?" McCullum said. "Life is too great to take for granted."
McCullum said she had been getting tips from community members all week as to where her car might be. On Saturday, McCullum said a friend contacted her, saying the car had crashed.
"I’m at a loss completely, and I don’t know who’s responsible at this moment," she said.
The law firm also said a vigil for Dalaneo Martin is being planned and information will be released soon.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating this incident.
The department told 7News more information will be released, but a department spokesperson did not say when that update will be provided.