Judge Hands Man 24 ½ Years in Prison for Fatal Shooting at a Gender-Reveal Party

            WASHINGTON – Nyjell Outler, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to a total of 24-and-a-half years in prison for the shooting death of 21-year-old Demetris Johnson and the shooting of Daloni Williams in March of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            A Superior Court jury found Outler guilty in March 2025 for voluntary manslaughter while armed in the fatal shooting of Mr. Johnson and for aggravated assault while armed in the shooting of Mr. Williams. The Honorable Jason Park sentenced the defendant August 15, 2025.

            According to evidence presented at trial, at approximately 7:43 p.m., on March 20, 2021, Outler arrived at a gender-reveal party, on Madison St., Northeast.  He was carrying an AK-style rifle (known as a “Draco”) in a backpack. He was at the party for a little more than a half hour before the shooting. After interacting with different guests throughout the evening, he stepped away from the driveway of the home where he had been hanging out, pulled the Draco out of his backpack, held it at his right side, and returned to the driveway where three young men, including Demetris Johnson and Daloni Williams, were. There were still dozens of other guests inside the house and inside the fenced-in area just off the driveway. When Daloni Williams took a couple steps toward the defendant with his arm extended, as if to say, “put that away” the defendant raised the Draco and shot Daloni Williams twice, from point-blank range. Outler then pivoted and pulled the trigger two more times as Demetris Johnson and the other young man on the driveway were trying to run away. One of the shots hit Demetris Johnson in the back. The defendant fled the scene.

            Daloni Williams spent nine days in the hospital after emergency surgery to save his leg and had to undergo months of physical therapy. Demetris Johnson died in the backyard of the house hosting the gender reveal party.

            At today’s sentencing hearing, the government requested that Judge Park sentence the defendant to a total of 35 years of incarceration. In support of its request, the government highlighted not only the egregious circumstances of the killing, but also informed Judge Park of multiple armed assaults and a misdemeanor sex offense the defendant is reported to have perpetrated since being brought back to Washington, D.C. from Florida.

            At the time of the shooting, Outler was on a GPS monitor after he had been arrested and released for possessing another Draco in February 2021. About two hours after fleeing from the area, he cut off his GPS. He was on the run for 11 months, even making it into the U.S. Marshals Service Top 15 most wanted. Finally, in February 2022, Outler was arrested in Florida following an anonymous tip.

            Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mabry Johnson and Sharon Newman, Victim/Witness Advocate Latrice Washington-Williams, Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Katina Adams-Washington and Shanika McCullough, and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Clark, Kristian Hinson, and Yasmin Emrani, who investigated and prosecuted the case.