A Prince George’s County mother is heartbroken and disappointed as the child who murdered her son in 2021 is released from probation.
The D.C. child who pulled the trigger was just 12 years old at the time. The victim, King Douglas, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was only 13.
“As a mom, you want justice for your child, and I feel I didn’t really get the justice that I was seeking,” Kay McKnight said.
“Prom would’ve been this year. Graduation would’ve been this year. A lot of things,” McKnight said. “Planning out colleges for my son. And he didn’t get a chance to do that, but this boy is able to run around like nothing even happened. So, it’s upsetting.”
The 12-year-old killer only served two weeks in detention
It was meant to be a fun Saturday evening with friends.
On April 17, 2021, McKnight dropped off King at the Ritchie Station Marketplace shopping center in Forestville as a reward for cleaning his room. But not long after, she got a call from his friends that he had been shot and killed.
“My son was so loving. Very handsome, very charming,” McKnight said.
Police say there was a dispute between two groups of young people at the shopping center. The 12-year-old was charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder in King’s death. Because of the shooter’s age, his name was not released.
The shooter served two weeks in a youth detention center and was released on probation. Now, four years later, a judge ruled Monday that his probation is over because of good behavior.
In court Monday, he apologized for his actions and said he’s changed.
The judge also saw letters from several of the shooter’s teachers, saying they’ve noticed an improvement.
“I know how my son would’ve wanted things to be,” McKnight said. “My son was a ‘wanna let it go – it’s OK’ type of boy. And so I try to keep that remembrance of my son.”
How the victim’s mom is giving back to the community by helping other grieving families
After King was killed, his mom went back to school and got her associate’s degree in criminal justice. She’s now working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work at Bowie State University.
She runs a nonprofit called For King We Stand. It offers mentoring to at-risk youth and support groups for parents who have lost children to gun violence.
“It’s part of my healing. To be able to comfort other parents who’ve lost their children, it’s healing for me,” McKnight said. “It’s my role as a mom to allow people to know who King was and to be that difference that we need, that change that we need in this community.”
In April 2024, Prince George’s County named a Capitol Heights street for King. It’s now known as King Douglas Way.
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