A Washington, D.C. man, 22-year-old Nyjell Outler, will spend more than two decades in prison after he opened fire at a 2021 gender reveal party, killing one person and injuring another.
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According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, Outler was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison on August 15, 2025. Back in March 2025, he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault.
The incident occurred on March 20, 2021. Evidence presented in court detailed that Outler arrived at a Madison Street residence at around 7:43 p.m. With an AK-style rifle in his backpack, he attended a gender reveal party.
After more than 30 minutes at the party, where Outler interacted with different guests, violence happened. The 22-year-old stepped away from the residence’ driveway, pulled the rifle out of his backpack, and returned to the driveway.
Fatal Shooting
Three young men were at the driveway at the time. Among them were Demetris Johnson and Daloni Williams. When Williams observed an armed Outler approaching, he tried to tell him to “put that away” by extending his arm. In turn, Outler shot him twice “from point-blank range.”
The other two men began running away, and Outlet fired two more times. One of those shots struck Johnson in the back. Dozens of other guests were still in the residence for the gender reveal party.
As a result, Demetris Johnson lost his life. Daloni Williams spent nine days hospitalized, and doctors were able to save his leg following an emergency surgery. He was able to recover after months of physical therapy.
Following the shooting, Outler fled the scene. He was wearing a GPS monitor after he was released for possessing another AK-style rifle back in February 2025. He, however, cut the monitor off, and Outler was on the run for 11 months.
In February 2022, an anonymous tip led to Outler’s arrest in Florida.
In court, the government alleged that Nyjell Outler had committed other offenses, including “multiple armed assaults and a misdemeanor sex offense.” This all occurred, as per the government, after he returned to Washington, D.C. from Florida.