For the murder of an 11-year-old boy, a 22-year-old Houston man was given a 40-year prison sentence. The guy, Daveyonne Howard, entered a guilty plea earlier this year, and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement that the sentencing was imposed on Wednesday. In a statement received by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Ogg stated, “Our hearts go out to the family because there is absolutely no reason that a little boy should lose his life by just stepping outside of his home.”
The incident happened in the boy’s apartment complex in northeast Harris County on February 3, 2022, at approximately 7 p.m., during a winter storm. After being confronted for allegedly breaking into a car and stealing a wallet, Howard reportedly fired his firearm at the man who was pursuing him to get his wallet as he was trying to flee. The young victim, Darius DJ Dugas, was accidentally caught in the crossfire and died after being hit in the chest. After leaving the scene, Howard was arrested on suspicion of murder a few days later.
DJ was promptly taken to a local hospital after Harris County deputies arrived on the scene, where he was declared dead. The case has raised awareness of the effects of gun violence, particularly when it affects innocent bystanders, such as children. Before being eligible for parole, Howard must complete at least 20 years of his sentence.
In their prosecution of Howard, assistant district attorneys Brett Batchelor and Carina Batista brought attention to the dangers of gun violence in public areas. “This could have been anyone’s child, and he was just shooting in front of a playground in an apartment complex. Batchelor told the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, “DJ simply got caught in the middle.” Howard’s prior criminal past had an impact on the case’s outcome and increased the harshness of the sentencing ruling. We believed that a substantial sentence was reasonable and that justice had been served because the defendant had been burglarizing cars before to the incident,” Batista added.
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