Clayton: Kenly man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in shooting death of 12-year-old Kyrell Stewart

A 21-year-old Kenly man pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 12-year-old Kyrell Stewart inside a Clayton apartment last November, the Johnston County District Attorney's Office said.

Ty'ryn Anthony Zah'rel Washington was sentenced to six years to eight years and three months in prison, or 72 to 99 months, according to the DA's office. He had been charged with second-degree murder, according to court records reported by The News & Observer.

What prosecutors say happened

On Nov. 28, 2025, the day after Thanksgiving, Clayton police were called to a fight involving several people at an apartment complex on Commodore Street, the DA's office said. Officers heard gunfire inside an apartment, went in and found Kyrell with a gunshot wound to the head. He later died.

The investigation determined that Washington pointed a gun at Kyrell and pulled the trigger, wrongly believing it was unloaded, according to prosecutors.

"While this was not an intentional killing, there is nothing accidental or insignificant about the consequences of the defendant's decision to point a firearm at Kyrell's head," District Attorney Jason Waller said in a statement.

Waller said the case was difficult to investigate because Clayton police had to work through inconsistent accounts and a lack of cooperation from people who were there. He credited the Clayton Police Department and Det. Jason Linder.

Background

Police estimated at the time that 20 to 30 people were inside the apartment, JoCo Report reported. Washington, then 20, turned himself in on Dec. 1, 2025, and was booked into the Johnston County jail on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, jail records show. The charge was later raised to second-degree murder, and he was held without bond, WRAL and The News & Observer reported.

Timeline

• Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, evening: Kyrell Stewart, 12, is shot inside an apartment on Commodore Street and later dies.
• Monday, Dec. 1, 2025: Washington turns himself in and is booked on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
• Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025: The charge is raised to second-degree murder.
• Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026: Washington pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and is sentenced to 72 to 99 months in prison.

What happens next

Washington will serve his sentence in state prison. The DA's office has not released the full terms of the plea agreement. We will update this story if more court records become available.