Teen jailed in fatal shooting of friend outside house party

A teenager faces murder and other charges after police said he killed his friend in a shootout at a house party, according to an arrest report released Tuesday.

Along with murder, Armon Watkins, 17, is charged with discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle and carrying and concealing a gun without a permit in connection with the death of Luiga Luna, also 17, according to court records.

Witnesses told police that Watkins was in a shootout on Feb. 17 after a house party on the 1900 block of Cedar Avenue, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Another person at the party, identified in the arrest report as Alexander Ramirez, was drunk and started pointing a gun at people inside the house, police said.

Witnesses said Ramirez shot at Watkins and several of his friends when they went outside. Luna jumped into a black Lexus, before Watkins opened fire, not knowing his friends were inside the car, according to the arrest report.

Luna was dropped off at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he died from a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.

“Watkins called someone from their group of friends and apologized for what happened, stating he was trying to protect them,” detectives wrote in the report.

One woman told police she yelled to Watkins, “It’s them, don’t shoot,” as the Lexus drove toward her to pick her up.

Watkins was arrested while walking into a Walmart on West Charleston Boulevard, police said. He is being held without bail.

Ramirez is wanted on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and owning a gun as a prohibited person, according to court records.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.