D.C. police make arrest in child’s murder

D.C. police made an arrest Tuesday morning in connection with the fatal shooting of a 9-year-old inside a Northwest apartment building.

Josue Pena, 26, no fixed address, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Saturday night shooting. He was arrested at about 6 a.m. Tuesday in the suburban D.C. neighborhood of Hyattsville, Md., according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The child, Oscar Fuentes, was shot at about 9:30 p.m. inside his apartment building, in the 1400 block of Columbia Road Northwest. He was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead.

Mr. Pena attempted to rob the child and his mother, who fled inside the building, police said. He followed them inside through a broken front door and fired a shot through their apartment door.

The Columbia Heights neighborhood in which the shooting occurred has recently been revitalized with a Metro subway station and retail shopping, including a Target store. However, crime problems, including gang violence, persist.

Police said the shooting was not gang related.

“There are few crimes that have ever risen to the level of heinous tragedy as much as this one,” Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said. “To shoot into an apartment knowing there are people inside … is a complete disregard for human life.”