After family members and other members of the community marched along Benning Road NE to the location where Dalaneo Martin, 17, was shot and killed by a U.S. Park Police officer, chants from the crowd quickly turned to tearful questions as family members spoke out for the first time.
Family members were emotional, remembering the child they called Debo.
"At 9:18 I got a call from my oldest brother saying he had got a call that Debo got shot by the police," said Rahketa Steele, one of Martin's sisters.
Nishay Martin, another sister, added: "It really hurts different. We're a strong family. I want him to be there for my daughter's birthday party."
This was the first time since the shooting family members spoke publicly.
They held a candlelight vigil and balloon release by the house where Martin crashed the SUV.
"Debo was always there for me, always, even when we were arguing," said Denayla Martin, his younger sister.
Last weekend, officers saw Martin in a stolen SUV. When they tried arresting him, that's when they said he drove away, dragging the U.S. Park Police officer in the process.
That officer shot and killed Martin, causing him to crash the vehicle into a house on the 300 block of 36th Street NE. Officers later found a gun in the SUV.
Terra Martin, Martin's mother, said she still had a lot of questions about the case, and said this incident did not need to end with a shooting.
“Why wasn't a taser deployed? Why was the officer in the back of the car? Why was Dalaneo shot," Martin asked.
For a few moments, family members turned their attention to the good times they had with Debo.
"Goofy, liked to dance with one leg. He could get under your skin but you can't do nothing but love him. He's helpful, giving. He would give you his socks off his back," Martin said.
Steele added:
"Debo was the life of the party, my man."
Martin left behind a 5-month-old son.
"We deserve justice. My brother deserves to be here. Jordan deserves to see his father his first birthday," Steele said.
“Another Black child without a father. I don't know how you're going to explain this one. This thing hurts," Martin said. "And I'm demanding answers ASAP."
7News reached out to MPD to ask if they had any updates to the case and if they knew who stole the SUV, but they did not have any new information.