DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park found probable cause in a fatal shooting case involving a 17-year-old victim, but released the defendant to home confinement on March 16.
Jaylnn Jamison, 18, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Tristan Johnson. The incident took place near the Stadium Armory Metro Station on the 1900 block of C Street, SE, on Nov. 8, 2025.
During the preliminary hearing, the prosecution called the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who investigated the shooting and wrote Jamison’s arrest warrant. Prosecutors played a video from about 12:20 p. m. the day of the shooting, in which two individuals in a Metro car were beaten and robbed of a coat by four other individuals.
The detective claimed that he spoke to someone who identified herself and her friend, Jamison, as the two individuals who were beaten in the video and said they took Jamison’s coat. The identity of Jamison and her friend in the video was allegedly confirmed by the friend’s mother, who was also interviewed by the MPD detective.
Defense attorney Hannah Claudio played the same clip, and the detective identified Johnson as one of the people who robbed Jamison.
Claudio then played footage from the Stadium Armory Metro Station, which showed the four individuals who robbed Jamison and her friend exit the Metro car and run out of the station. The video also showed Jamison and her friend exit the Metro car and approach two National Guard members in the station. According to the detective, Jamison and her friend reported the robbery to the National Guard.
The detective said both members of the National Guard were interviewed during the investigation over the phone, days after the incident. One guard member stated that he didn’t see any weapons on Johnson or anyone from his group, but said he didn’t have a good enough look to make a substantial claim.
The other National Guard soldier described Jamison and her friend as a boy with a ski mask and a girl wearing a pink coat, noted Claudio, and questioned the detective about the accuracy of this description. The detective said the video evidence from inside the Metro station did not match up with that description.
According to the detective, after the robbery, Johnson and his cousin, two of the four individuals who robbed Jamison, exited the station and visited Johnson’s girlfriend’s house nearby.
Johnson’s cousin claimed that he and Johnson were never inside the Metro the day of the shooting, a statement Claudio confirmed with the detective was inconsistent with video evidence.
During the shooting, Johnson’s girlfriend and her sister were at a house nearby, and both claimed to hear shots fired. The girlfriend said she saw Jamison’s friend running down the street with someone she recognized, a name the detective said is not associated with Jamison.
Johnson’s girlfriend’s sister claimed that Jamison and her friend were known to commit robberies together. However, Claudio stated that Jamison had never been stopped or arrested for robbery.
According to the warrant, another witness, who was across the street during the shooting, claimed to hear shots and run over to a window where the witness said they saw someone approach a person on the ground and attempt to steal his jacket. The witness then exited the apartment, walked towards the victim, and called 911. This witness described the shooter as a little boy who fled the scene with his sister.
Claudio also questioned the detective about the testimony of Jamison’s friend. According to the detective, the friend originally had said that there were two friends with her at the time of the shooting, Jamison and another female. When the friend was interviewed a second time, she changed her story, claiming that the other female was not present.
The friend also stated that she and Jamison returned to the Metro station in an attempt to find the coat that had been stolen, not to hurt anyone.
According to court documents, when Jamison and her friend returned to the Stadium Armory Metro Station later in the day, they reportedly encountered the group of individuals who had robbed them on the train hours earlier.
The detective said the friend told him they never saw Jamison with a gun or had previously seen her holding a firearm.
Claudio discussed the detective’s interview with an eyewitness who said that he saw a 10-year-old boy and a girl chasing another individual outside the Stadium Armory Metro Station. The individual being chased, identified by the detective as Johnson, pushed the boy down the stairs. According to the eyewitness, the boy then pulled a gun on the victim before the victim jumped on the boy in an attempt to grab the gun. According to the eyewitness, a shot was fired at the victim, and the boy fled the scene. The prosecution and detective claim the boy described by the eyewitness is Jamison.
The detective claimed that although no firearm was recovered from the scene, a bullet casing was found outside the station.
Claudio claimed that the prosecution didn’t meet the standard for probable cause because they failed to prove Jamison’s identity at the scene of the crime, noting the two National Guard members conflicted with one another. Claudio added that Johnson’s girlfriend and her sister had bias towards Jamison and her friend because they used slurs to describe them.
Additionally, Claudio stated that the eyewitness’ testimony could have been easily inaccurate, as he was interviewed by MPD weeks after the incident and said it was a boy who fired the shots.
Claudio also argued that mitigating circumstances created grounds for self-defense, as Jamison was robbed and beaten earlier in the day, and knew Johnson was capable of violent behavior. Furthermore, Johnson was larger than Jamison, and shots were only fired once Johnson was physically on top of Jamison.
Judge Park found probable cause, stating that the eyewitness’ testimony doesn’t support the self-defense argument.
Prosecutors argued in favor of continued detention, claiming that Jamison was angry about the robbery and murdered Johnson in an effort to seek revenge.
Johnson’s mother made a statement, requesting Judge Park, “Hold [Jamison] accountable for her actions,” saying she “murdered [her] son.”
Claudio asked for Jamison’s release, saying Jamison has “amazing character,” a great work history, the support of her family, community, and members of her church. Claudio emphasized Jamison’s importance to the community by stating that 10 of her teachers took time off from work to be present in the courtroom.
Despite the pleading from the victim’s mother, Judge Park released Jamison on 24-hour home confinement at her mother’s residence, saying her record weighed in favor of release.
Parties are slated to reconvene on April 24 before the case’s calendar judge, DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman.
