In the wake of a 17-year-old high school student shooting an off-duty firefighter in the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced that the teen, Marcellus Dyson Jr., will be charged as an adult for the various alleged crimes and that the time of treating teen criminals with kid gloves is over.
As background, the shooting occurred on the night of Saturday, September 20, with Dyson allegedly shooting off-duty firefighter Gary Dziekan in an armed robbery attempt. As Pirro announced on Monday, September 22, Dyson is being charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and aggravated assault while armed for shooting and injuring an off-duty firefighter.
Explaining in the press conference her office’s stance on crime and how the gloves are coming off as the administration attempts to deal with the major problem of crime in America’s cities, US Attorney for DC Pirro explained, “Out of control juveniles who think nothing of illegal, illegally possessing a weapon and holding up individuals are now going to find that they will be made accountable.”
Continuing, she explained that the various groups of teenage thugs who have long terrorized America’s cities with little to no repercussions are going to find out that a new boss is in charge, and they will face serious punishments for their illegal actions. She said, on that point, that the criminals will be taught “that there will be consequences, and there will be no more coddling of young criminals.”
Concluding, Pirro explained that the District of Columbia will be made safe for residents and visitors, and prosecutions will be used with all due vigor to crack down on the rampant criminality for which it has long been known, saying, “This is why we fight. This is why we prosecute, and this is why the President is making safety a priority in the district.”
Further, she commented on the matter generally in a post on X, explaining that President Trump has helped give her the tools necessary to fight back against crime. She said, “Thank you, @POTUS, for giving DC the resources to continue to fight crime. Here, a 17-year-old is charged as an adult. One by one, we are taking guns and criminals off the streets.”
Watch her here:
"*" indicates required fields
Fortunately, the firefighter who was shot by Dyson is recovering. Such is what Dave Hoagland, the head of the DC Firefighter’s Union, explained in a statement given to the media on Monday the 22nd, noting that Mr. Dziekan is at home and managing to recover from the horrible incident. Hoagland began, “He’s home recovering with his family.”
Continuing, Hoagland explained that the doctors had to leave the bullet in Mr. Dziekan, for now at least, but he is managing to recover despite the damage. He said, “Everybody’s very happy that he’s safe and he’s well. They actually left he bullet in him because they would’ve done more damage taking it out, but I think we’re all breathing a sigh of relief that this wasn’t worse.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video