Hundreds of people filled the auditorium at the Turkey Thicket recreation center in Northeast D.C. on Tuesday night to demand answers and support the family of Karon Blake, the 13-year-old fatally shot by a neighbor over the weekend.

They posed questions to an assistant chief with the Metropolitan Police Department one at a time, demanding the immediate arrest of the man responsible and the disclosure of his name. But the assistant chief largely didn’t answer people’s questions — and instead urged residents to be patient as authorities complete their investigation of the killing.

Brookland, the neighborhood where Karon was killed and where the event was held, has been a scene of grief and tension in recent days, as residents have been left to wonder and speculate about which of their neighbors killed the young middle schooler. According to police, who say they are still investigating and cannot share many details about the case yet, a man shot Karon shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday morning right by Brookland Middle School, where the 13-year-old was a student.

Police say the resident who shot Karon “heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles.” He subsequently left his home with a registered firearm, had some sort of “interaction” with Karon, and then fatally shot him. Karon had multiple gunshot wounds, according to police, and was pronounced dead later that morning.

In the days since the shooting, residents across the city have voiced outrage, questioning why a resident used fatal force to respond to an alleged property crime outside their home and calling it an act of vigilantism.

The man who shot Karon has been cooperating with investigators and has legal representation, D.C. police chief Robert Contee said at a news conference Tuesday. Contee also used the news conference as an opportunity to condemn misinformation and speculation swirling around the killing, calling it “dangerous” and “reckless.” Contrary to some rumors circulating online, the man who shot Karon is not former law enforcement, Contee said.

He also decried some residents’ speculation about the race of the shooter, noting the shooter was Black. But the police chief declined to share further details about what actually happened, saying that sharing specifics — including the name of the shooter — could jeopardize the integrity of the case.

At a press conference on Wednesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also confirmed that the shooter is a D.C. government employee. He is on administrative leave, per city policy, she said.

What has been said about the investigation is that MPD detectives are working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. to investigate what happened and comb through video footage. In a brief statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that its investigation into the incident was ongoing and it would be imprudent for the office to comment further, according to a statement released Tuesday

After the investigation, the case could proceed to a grand jury, which would determine whether a crime was committed, Contee said at the Tuesday afternoon press conference.

But on Tuesday night, as residents stepped up to the microphone to address city officials, many in the packed auditorium were unsatisfied with that explanation.

One woman, who identified herself as the grandmother of one of Karon’s friends, demanded authorities release the name of the man who killed Karon. She said it would be “giving the community what they need to be at peace.”

“The community needs to be protected from him,” she said.

MPD assistant chief Morgan Kane stood at the front of the room to take residents’ questions.

“I’m a mother. I have a son. I’m a District resident,” Kane said as she addressed the many family members of Karon who sat in a row at the front. “I can’t even begin to imagine what is going on in your hearts. In your mind, in your body … I am so sorry this happened.”

Then, addressing everybody else in the room, she said she had come to the meeting “in the spirit of transparency,” but acknowledged that she would not be able to answer questions about what actually happened the night Karon was killed. “What we don’t want to do is compromise this case in any way, shape, or form,” she said.

As staff members for newly minted Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker took notes, residents continued voicing their questions to Kane.

One man spoke about being locked up for having a suspended license. If that can happen to someone, he asked, then why wouldn’t someone who fatally shot another person be immediately taken into police custody?

Kane told the crowd that she knows people are used to police making arrests immediately on a crime scene when they have enough information, but “in this circumstance, it requires further investigation.” At several points, she couldn’t get through her statements because yells from the crowd drowned her out.

As they demanded answers about Karon’s killing, the Black residents who stepped up to the microphone also voiced a broader distrust towards the police department and city leadership. Many spoke about feeling like Karon’s life was being devalued. Others said they felt like police weren’t doing enough to keep them safe.

“MPD has once again failed us,” said one man.

During an impassioned speech, another man called out the futility of the meeting itself.

“There are no answers that [you] can give to make anybody in this building feel better,” he told Kane and Parker.

Karon’s own grieving family members tried to quell the interruptions themselves. Karon’s grandfather Sean Long was one of them.

“They’re really upset and they don’t want to hear nothing,” Long said after the event. “I want to stop this before it gets out of hand.”

Long said the uncertainty about the shooter’s identity and whether he will be charged has him worried about what some residents might do.

“Earlier today, some youngins came up, [asking] ‘Where he at? Where he at?’” Long said, referring to the man who shot Karon. Long said he and another person had to hold them back from going up to someone’s house. “Streets talk, and we know information just like the police know information.”

Long said he wanted to see the shooter arrested and charged, and until that happens, he worries young people will take away the message that violence doesn’t have consequences.

“These young kids out here ain’t gonna respect the law or nobody because they just saw this right now,” Long said. “They’re going to do what they want to do.”

Long left the meeting unsatisfied that authorities were unable to answer many of the questions.

“The meeting should have been about answers,” Long said.

As the crowd got ready to leave, Nee Nee Taylor, co-founder of local activist group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, took the microphone to share one concrete thing neighbors could do if they felt outraged and wanted to help: Supporting the GoFundMe that Karon’s family has set up for funeral expenses. By Wednesday morning, the family had reached more than $17,000 of their $20,000 goal.

Reflecting on his grandson Karon, Long said he was just like any other kid.

“He was a playful, crazy little kid just running around the house, having fun,” said Long. “An average little boy.”