Two veteran D.C. police officers were cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy in a case that fractured a Southeast neighborhood and turned D.C. officers against city leaders they felt betrayed them.

The seven-month investigation revealed that James Haskel and Anthony Clay acted in self-defense when they shot DeOnte Rawlings in a crowded alley near the Condon Terrace apartment complex, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor said Thursday.

Authorities have believed from the early stages of the investigation that DeOnte opened fire on the officers.

As first reported by The Examiner, the FBI’s ShotSpotter technology identified a gunshot from a .38-caliber pistol, followed by shots from 9 mm service weapons. And one of DeOnte’s friends told authorities that he was with the boy the night of the shooting. The friend said DeOnte shot first.

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Both the youth’s family and city police officers made it clear the emotional damage wrought by the shooting will not heal anytime soon.

“We can’t get no justice for my brother,” Charles Rawlings said, sobbing in front of television cameras. “But I can tell you what — he always going to be remembered.”

Gregory Lattimer, a lawyer for DeOnte’s family, promised to press on with a $100 million wrongful-death suit filed against the city. “Nobody gives a damn if we die at the hands of the police officers,” he told The Examiner.

Rank-and-file officers are soured, too — appalled at Mayor Adrian Fenty’s repeated media events and his decision to pay for and speak at DeOnte’s funeral, as well as perceived lack of concern from Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

“They made a decision, along with certain newspaper friends, that the officers had done something wrong,” police union Chairman Kristopher K. Baumann said. “They pandered ... and caused permanent harm.”

The .38 used in the shooting was never recovered, and prosecutors said privately they were handicapped by the publicity surrounding the case — publicity that grew even more intense as Fenty held a series of news conferences, including one where he handed the microphone over to DeOnte’s sisters.

Fenty avoided the media after Taylor’s news conference. He issued a terse news release referring to Taylor’s decision not to file charges as an “opinion.” The statement added, “It is important that all members of the community respect the legal process.”

 In all, 11 rounds were fired — three by DeOnte and eight by the off-duty officers, Taylor said Thursday. The fatal bullet, fired from about 100 feet away as DeOnte fled, struck the teenager in the back of the head. “Tragically bad luck,” Taylor said.

D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson, D-at large, said the police department had work to do to repair its relationship with its neighbors.

“There are no winners in this,” Mendelson said.

Photo courtesy WJLA.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com

bmyers@dcexaminer.com