15-year-old Girl Killed After Teens Find Gun in Apartment

Journee Long, age 15, and a friend her age, were alone in an apartment in Washington, DC where they planned to stay for the weekend. They found a loaded, unsecured gun, and were playing with it when the gun fired, fatally striking Journee in the head. The other teen was holding the gun at the time, and a family friend said “[s]he’s distraught right now, I mean, devastated.”

The other teen is the goddaughter of J’Von Green, age 33, who lives in the apartment and is the gun’s owner, but was not there at the time of the shooting. Court documents reveal that the gun’s serial number was removed. Green was arrested and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, carrying a pistol without a license, and criminally negligent storage of a firearm

Journee just finished her freshman year of high school. Her sister wanted to emphasize that Journee was not into violence or guns; that “[s]he was too princessy for that. She liked makeup and getting her nails done…She wanted to go to the pool, chill, have fun with friends.” “She was a joy to everybody. Everybody knew her as a light.”

Sources:

Catalina Pérez de Armiñán, “15-year-old Killed, Gun Owner Arrested After Teens Play With Weapon in DC Home,”nbcwashington.com (June 8, 2026).

Darcy Spencer, “‘Whole Life Ahead of Her’: Family Describes Teen Killed in DC Gun Accident,” nbcwashington.com (June 9, 2026).