Gender reveal party turned deadly when DC man opened fire, killing one, feds say
A man attending a gender reveal party in Washington, D.C., grabbed an “AK-style rifle” from his backpack and shot two people also at the celebration, killing a 21-year-old who tried to flee, federal prosecutors said.
Now, more than three years later, Nyjell Outler, 22, has been sentenced to 24 years and six months in prison over the 2021 shooting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced in an Aug. 18 news release.
Outler, of D.C., was found guilty in March of voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault while armed by a D.C. Superior Court jury, prosecutors said.
His criminal defense attorney, Thomas A. Key, did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment Aug. 19.
Ahead of Outler’s Aug. 15 sentencing hearing, Key and his co-counsel, Gemma Stevens, argued Outler opened fire to protect himself at the gender reveal March 20, 2021, D.C. Witness reported.
How the shooting unfolded
At the party at a home on Madison Street, about a 5-mile drive northeast from the White House, Outler had been “hanging out” in a driveway and spoke with other attendees, according to prosecutors.
Within an hour of him arriving at about 7:43 p.m., he temporarily left before returning to the driveway, prosecutors said.
When he came back, Outler was holding the “Draco” firearm at his right side, according to prosecutors. Three other men, Johnson, Daloni Williams and a third person were in the driveway at the time.
That is when “Daloni Williams took a couple steps toward (Outler) with his arm extended, as if to say, ‘put that away,’” prosecutors said.
Outler shot Williams twice, “point-blank” in his legs in response, according to prosecutors.
He then turned and fired two shots at Johnson and another “young” man, as they tried to escape, prosecutors said.
Johnson was struck in the back by one of the bullets, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He died in the backyard of where the party was held.
Williams, who survived the shooting and needed emergency surgery for his leg, was in the hospital for nine days, prosecutors said. His hospital stay was followed by months of physical therapy.
Dozens of partygoers were inside and outside the house when Outler shot Johnson and Williams, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Outler, who fled the gender reveal, had on a GPS monitor due to a prior his arrest stemming from an earlier “Draco” possession charge from February 2021, prosecutors said.
He cut off the GPS monitor and remained a fugitive for nearly a year until an anonymous tip led law enforcement to Florida, where he was arrested in February 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In Outler’s defense, Stevens argued at trial that there was “a lot of speculation and finger pointing,” according to a report from D.C. Witness.
She also contended, citing video evidence, that Outler had been surrounded moments before shots were fired, and Johnson “had his hand in his coat pocket, where responders found a firearm after the shooting,” the outlet reported.
Prosecutors, however, argued Outler was never threatened, and the shooting was intentional, according to D.C. Witness.
The prosecution team had asked the court to sentence Outler to 35 years in prison, before judge Jason Park issued his 24.5-year sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In seeking a higher sentence, the government detailed Outler’s criminal history, which also includes armed assaults “a misdemeanor sex offense (he) is reported to have perpetrated since being brought back to Washington, D.C. from Florida,” prosecutors said.
While on the run, Outler was on the U.S. Marshals Service Top 15 most wanted list.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Gender reveal party turned deadly when DC man opened fire, killing one, feds say."
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