chief said at the beginning, now this case is closed for charles walker jr., the 15-year-old who was shot and killed who attended suitland high school, just a freshman there. now police say he was shot and killed near his home. they're calling this a robbery turned murder. 24 hours later, five suspects are in custody, all five facing murder charges. here now from chief magaw. >> most of these detectives have been up for the last 48 hours, and to be honest with you, most of this department has been up for 48 hours. it's been a trying time for all of us. >> reporter: again they said thanks to a tip from the community they were actually able to close the case. last night 18-year-old aaron kidd was shot and killed. he's another suitland high school student. this happened on donnell drive in forestville. his friend andre shopper.

just moments ago police announced he has suck coupled to his injuries. this is a double homicide. his mother told me she was thinking of walker's untimely death and worries about his mother when she found about her own son's murder. >> please do what you can, and i know you're doing the best you can, but please protect our young children. this could not have happened to no family. to no parents. >> coming up at 6:00, we'll hear more from his mother, speaking for a number of prince george's county parents who have lost their kids in this school year. police wanted to make it clear they have their suspects in

custody. they believe they have the five individuals responsible. they're making this clear, because they want to calm the worries and all the talk that's going on in social media with students saying they were angry, somebody who are talking about retaliating. reporting live, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >> the death of those high school students has prompted unprecedented -- jackie bensen explains how community leaders are responding. she's at suitland high school. jackie? >> reporter: there's just one budget being asked by local leaders and parents -- how do we stop this? >> the murders of these students are causing communitywide soul-searching. county executive baker is visibly frustrated. >> i'm very angry. i mean, i think for us in the county, this here is senseless violence. we have young people killed over

this last school year, that is something that not acceptable. >> edward burrows is a member of the board of education. >> students can't learn if they don't feel safe. and no student should have to fire their safety. no student should have to worry about walking down the streets with a bag of shoes and think they will be murdered or approached with a gun. >> reporter: the grief is shared by strangers. >> it's heartbreaking. i don't know what the solution is. >> the students' murders all believe to be unrelated, have been declared a priority. >> i am really enraged that a young person in our community can't watch the streets with a shopping bag without being shot in the back. that should be a concern. >> reporter: many believe the solution needs to go deeper. >> i don't think the solution comes from the top. i think they have to be community-led. i think as soon as folks on the ground getting tired of having

young people killed and want to speak up to police officers or whoever, to deal with the vile innocence their own communities, that's when you stop it. >> county executive baker says he plans to reach out to the large faith-based community for help. the attorney for jesse jackson jr. says his client has taken responsibility for misconduct. now the former congressman will have to convince the judge responsible for his sentencing. jackson pleaded guilty in federal court to a super charge, accused of spending $750,000 in campaign money on everything from jewelry and expensive clothing to furniture and political mehmmorabilia. his attorney says jackson's recent struggle with mental illness should factor into his sentence. sudden those health issues are

directly related. that's not an execution. that's just a fact. hi faces up to five years in prison. >> we have some bitter cold air on top of us right now. it is going to get even colder. storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson taking a look at our plunging temperatures. >> that's right. we're likely to see them drop as low as they did this morning. the wind is still with us. outside right now it looks pretty, right? but it's cold. you're looking at your hour-by-hour forecast. windchill readings will be headed on to the teen by 10:00. >> we sit at 32 to the north. some folks are still under some of those clouds up to the north. your forecast as we talk about

this brisk cold overnight period, we have some being weather that could make getting around just tricky at times. we'll have the details coming up. the pentagon notified congress today of some of the steps that will become necessary if the automatic spending cuts go into effect march 1st. most of the pentagon 800,000 civilian workers will be furloughed one day a week. defense secretary panetta sent notice to workers that all affected employees would be notified at least 30 days ahead of any of those planned furloughs. he warned the ridge i had nate and scale of these cuts would result in what he called a serious erosion of readiness. meanwhile, in his first major address, secretary of state john kerry warmed that the looming cuts would -- >> my credibility as a diplomat working to help other countries, create order, is strongest when

america at last puts its own fiscal house in order. that has to be now. >> he added it's hard to tell other countries' leaders they have to resolve their economic issues if america doesn't solve their own. sequestration could cost the city millions. saying the city could take a 50 million hit, and he says the city stands to lose 60 million in federal funding if across the board cuts go into effect. >> we did some estimates of impacts on education, impacts in health, impacts in the homeland security areas. and that's a total of 60 million. on an annualized basis, we could have over 100 million of impact based on the best estimates we have now.

mean white on the national institutes of health they could be hit hard. most importantly a reduction in the number of patients who can be treated at the bethesda facility. we talked to a woman who wouldn't be here today without that funding. >> my doctor told me there's nothing i can do for you that we don't know what it is or why, and you'll probably die. >> that's what felicia sanchez was told by her hometown doctors three years ago. her only home, becoming a research patient here at nih. >> they gave me medicines and treatments insurance wouldn't cover, the hospitals back at home couldn't give me. >> reporter: dr. at nih fear if funding is cut in such a dramatic fashion, patients like sanchez would have to go without treatment. >> it's scary. what it's going to mean is we're going to have to slow our

studies down, which means we won't bring in as many new patients, and it means the pace at which the new discoveries happen is going to become slower and slower. >> for decades, the nation and the world has looked to nih to lead the way in life-saving medical research. >> the first use use of chemotherapy for cancer happened here. the cracking of the genetic code happened here. figuring out how to make the blood supply safe from hepatitis and hiv which we all take for granded happened here. >> reporter: it could mean layoffs at nih. >> we will do everything we can to try not to furlough or lay off employees, but of course we can't make any promises. >> reporter: as for sanchez, she's looking forward to going home, but she knows how important funding is no nih. >> i don't know what i would do without the doctors and researchers and scientists. i'm only here today because of

them. i would be in a grave, bones and dust. sequestration would mean a 1.5 billion cut for nih, because 80% of that money goes out to research facilities around the country, the cuts would be felt in every state. there are tens of thousands just in the d.c. area who depends on their jobs and medical treatment. >> it's good to have you sitting on the set. mark comes to you from wtop, and we're very happy to have you are here after listening to you on the air withal your great coverage. welcome aboard. >> thanks, wendy. i'm thrilled to be here. state with news4 for continuing coverage as the showdown approaches. we have more details on how this will impact our region. just search for sequestration. we're waiting to learn new developments within the hour about this massive gas explosion in kansas city.

even with one body recovered, police have a lot more work to do. plus a wo many in virginia who was expecting a child is murdered. her home set on fire. now for the first time her family is speaking out about the man they think turned into a killer. news4 is working for you tonight digging up the dirt on the detox diets. diets. doreen gentzler lays ♪ for tapping into a wealth of experience. diets. doreen gentzler lays for access to one of the top wealth management firms in the country.

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in thators made surprise visit to make sure you're getting what you paid for. "the washington post" reports that the office of weights and measurements performed spot checks on how much alcohol the bartenders were pouring. who knew they did this? bars can be fined up to $2,000 if they under-pour your drink. the post reports that no fines were issued on these visits. to cheers to that. well, detox diets promise to rid your body of toxins, excess calories, even shed some pounds. >> do we readily need to put our bodies through a detox? doreen gentzler has that story. >> the time of year when a lot of people, detox or cleansing diets became popular after

celebrities said it helped them lose weight quickly. usually it involves changing your diet completely, even eliminating all solid foods, but before you put yourself through all that, we go through some of the myths and truths. >> no refined sugar. >> no oils. >> no dairy. >> no refined flours. >> for 30 days, they turned their diets upsidedown. they eliminated all processed food along with most animal products and fat. they say it was part of a detox diet. >> i wanted to make sure in the process of eating healthier,ivity getting the bad stuff out. >> they plan their diet plan at whole foods market, part of the healthy eating challenge, led by yvette johnson. >> detoxing is something that our body does all the time, but we can help it along by choosing foods that help facilitate that.

>> reporter: they're encouraged to eliminate refined sugars, flours, dairy, oils and strictly limit their meat intake to about 3 ounce as week. >> gives your system a chance to reset, recalibrate, kind of come back to center. >> they say they're feeling better and more energized. but nutrition experts warn other times, eye specially those that are strictly liquid, could lead you feeling the opposite. >> there's no evidence to indicate that it benefits the body in any way, and frankly the risks outweigh any type of benefit. >> reporter: joy dubois says that highly restrictive diets could lead to low blood sugar. >> you even may have heart pal pitations, because you're affecting your electrolyte balance. some folks feel not to happy and irritable. >> she says the liver and

kidneys help the body detox naturally. and there's no physiological need to do it on your own through dramatic cleansing or a liquid diet. but johnson says that doesn't count for those who have poor nutrition, drink too much caffeine and don't get enough sleep. >> i think it will be true if we were in an ideal environment. we do need to give our bodies a rest and break and help facilitate that process by giving ourselves good, healthy food. >> i think i'll have what she's having. all the nutrition experts we spoke to did agree on one thing -- people should focus on lifetime changes rather than using a fad diet. that means long-term changes, not short-term juice cleansing -- yeah. >> that master colonel thing, be careful with that thing.

>> yeah. >> wendy makes a gr green drink. >> i do. i'll whip up a batch. >> we're going to love tomorrow and friday, because this cold is here to stay? >> is that what you're trying to tell me? >> no, i'm say if we liked it. >> let me clean out my ears. here's the thing. if we deal with the cold, we'll have to have a new storm moving in. we could be looking at some sleet and snow on friday. let's head on over to the weather wall. guys we have a few clouds across the area for most of us. up to the north is a lot more in the way of cloud cover has been, and there that the temperatures have been a bit lower today, up around frederick, up around areas through northern month gotly county, even frontroyal. with that cloud cover today look at the winds. they're still at 15 to 20 miles an hour, right now sustained at

21 miles per hour, leesburg we're still getting gusts. so your planner forecast here for tonight, heading on down, subfreezing temperatures by 9:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., still some wind, so your windchills once again just like last night and this morning will be headed on down to the teens and single digits. headed this way, this system right here, looking at an area of low pressure. that is our next storm. it would be weakening action so we will see some cloud cover first thing early friday. tomorrow at least some sunshine action breezy conditions have been on friday, because it's still cold. we will see a period of some snow, sleet, hagerstown, areas down think winchester, even some accumulating snow right here between 5:00 p.m. and about 10:00 or 11 p.m. before we see the higher temperatures.

those areas to the north may get a brief accumulation. it could lead to the slick spots before that rain starts moving in through saturday. it is rain for most of saturday. in fact, somewhere between a half and 0.75 of an inch of rain is what it's liking like right now. another one of those button up types of mornings. same thing for the afternoon, 37 to 42 for a high. here we go with your four-day forecast. to 37 on friday. 46 on saturday, so it is this weekend at least when we start to get out of this real cold air. once we do, next week we're into the low and mid 50s. as we focus on that friday, it is likely we are going to have some rain around here late, some sleet and snow to the north and west and that means isolated slick spots for the tail end of the evening rush on friday. >> so just another cold one for

tomorrow. >> thanks, veronica. after the earthquake, big changes. what you will be able to see as soon as next week. high crime along this part of the metro system. how transat this time police are reonding. i'm adam tuss. the story is coming up. a student overcomes the odds, even after his parents are told he may not walk, talk or play sports. i'm tom sherwood. mayor vincent gray wants the city to be more green. one idea he has? charge you for how much trash

one of the most inspiring sports figure in town may be one of the least well known. who is it, dan? >> this is a really neat story. shaku sharoma. hits parents were told he might not walk, talk or play sports. right now had's proving them wrong. his sports choice -- bocce ball. >> reporter: a few nights a week during the long wind months, you can find shaku in the sherwood high school gym. this is practice, as far away from the mainstream sports

spotlight as it gets. that's just fine since being here is against all odds. >> how far has he come? >> a long, long way. to see him like -- it's being. he never gives up. >> he's been fighting. with cerebral palsy. his parents were told he would probably never walk, but at 10:00 he taught himself. now at 18, he is plays sports. >> i'm real proud, because he gets involved. it's like he just watches other people. it's like motivation for a lot of kids and myself too. >> reporter: walk the has of sherwood high school, you'll see lots of motivated students shuffling from class to class, and shaku fits right in.

a typical day for a student athlete, tough classes, worksheets and lots of friends. >> my favorite subject is math and p.e. >> reporter: but the best part of the day is after school, especially when it's game day. >> think of something, quick. >> it shows there shall an outlet for all students to compete, be part of a team, have that exciting energy. you can see it in his eyes. he's so focused, so intense, and he's just having fun. the best reaction is when he gets so close to that point, to see his arms go up, he starts smiling like crazy. >> reporter: how much fun are you having? >> a lot. >> reporter: it felt good when everybody was cheering. i saw that big smile on your face. >> yeah.

>> reporter: a fierce competitor and loyal teammate, but it's his positive nape that impresses most. >> he's overcome so much, positive and happy. other people with disabilities, he gives them confidence, too, if he can do it, i can do it. >> this story will show that not to give up. i hope every child has a chance to compete. >> carol maloney, news4 sports. great story. just warms your heart. his third year of plays bocce. yes, it is a varsity sports, so he gets maybe even a letterman jacket. >> it's also wonderful for the other students. it broadens them and their perspective on the world. >> you see how well he was received? >> dino, the young man interviewed, he got excited just talking about it. >> and technology, how it's allowing him to communicate. great story. thank you, dan. >> yeah.

a big surprise for a local student today, and a big payoff after years of hard work. we know about a local teen murdered because of his shoes. tonight we take a closer look at the heart of this issue and this troubling trend. a pregnant woman is targeted, and her killer sparks a fire to try to cover up the crime. now new dramatic details are revealed just as the family speaks out to news4. my beautiful sister and her 5-month-old son were murdered, stabbed, shot and burned, in the cold dark february night in reston, virginia.

there is a news conference going on right now, aaron gilchrist is listening in. >> wendy, fbi, i.r.s. investigators talking along with ron manchen talking about jesse jackson jr. pleading guilty earlier today to a seven-year conspiracy in which he spend upwards of three quarters of a million on himself, essentially. let's listen to a piece of sound from ron manchin from the district court of -- >> he had the drive, the ability, the talent to be the

voice of a new generation. but he squandered that talent. he exchanged that instead to satisfy his personal whims and extravagant lifestyle. >> he went on to say he conspired to commit a variety of schemes to finance that exorbitant lifestyle. jesse jackson jr., the former congressman acknowledging that he did that. he's looking up to five years in prison, paying fines, paying that money back as well. his wife also pled guilty to charges related to filing false tax returns in court today. that's the latest from the live desk. we'reling following breaking news right now out of the prince george's county. less than an hour ago, police announced that five people were arrested, charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of charles walker jr. walker is the suitland high school teenager shot and killed on monday. it happened a few blocks away

from the hillcrest heights home. the gunmen apparently wanted his shoes in a shopping bag. we learned late this afternoon that a teenager shot in a parking lot in forestville has now died of his injuries. aaron kidd, another suitland high school student died at the scene. seven teenagers have now been killed in prince george's county this school year alone. we also have a dramatic end in texas this asp to the murder investigation of an expectant mother in northern virginia. 38-year-old jennifer pearson. she was found dead in her apartment in reston on monday after a fire. >> now there's an unexpected twist when a husband was discovered yesterday at his mother's house. 1600 miles away. news4's pat collins joins us live after speaking with the family of the victim. pat? >> jim, jenny pearson was five months pregnant. monday afternoon she was scheduled to go out to lunch to plan a shower for her new baby.

but on that monday, on that monday morning, she was murdered inside her home. her brother and sisters described jenny pearson as the star of their family. at age 38, she appeared to have her life right on track. a good job with a cancer research company, a husband and her first baby on the way. >> we believe that she sought is the dream of a stable married life with a child, a loving husband and the hope of growing old. >> reporter: this is a statement from the pearson family, read to me at the family home by jenny's older sister sarah. it expresses the family's thoughts on the murder of jenny pearson and her unborn child. >> so it comes to this, our beautiful sister and her 5-month-old son were murdered. stabbed, shot and burned, left alone in the cold of a dark

february night in reston, virginia. her murderer, a stranger husband of less than a year, a back stabber, a craven coward -- >> reporter: it happened monday morning at the waterside complex. a fire in a second-floor apartment. rescue workers discovered the body of a woman inside. she appears to have been stabbed. she appears to have been shot. her husband timothy conner is missing. he has relatives in texas. yesterday the bandera county sheriffs spot him in a car in the driveway of his mother's home. now the sheriff said that conner got out of that car, put a gun to his head, said a prayer, apologized for what he did, and then he shot and killed himself. now, with the suicide, a 31-year-old timothy conner, it appears this case of murder is closed, but for the pearson

family, the sorrow continues on. live in fairfax, pat collins, news4. the day 2 in the trial of jason scott. he's charged with the murder of a mother and daughter in aspirin georges county. prosecutors say they did find charred remains of the victim's clothing inside a home of upper marlboro. they say the remains did match the ones found in the burning car where police found the victims' bodies in 2009. prosecutor said scott used the upper marlboro location as a play to store items from burglaries and home invasions. the 2011 earthquake left the washington monument with pretty severe cracks. now repairs will begin on the historic figure in the next few days the public will be able to see the work as it happens news4's richard jordan explains house contractors plan to handle the monumental job. >> the deep jagged cracks scarred a legendary landmark,

but the washington monument is on its way to its original condition. the monument's stayed in the hands of contractors ready to fix the flaws. shawn keneely is the chief of facility management. he says the work is about to begin to repair the damage caused by the 2011 5.8 magnitude earthquake. we had cracks, systpawlk, a num of repairs that are needed. >> the first step is to put up scaffolding, the same technique used more than a decade ago for the monday muppet upgrades keneely says the scaffolding will go up and begin next week. the scaffolding will go a bit higher than 550 feet. you won't see rappelling, but workers on the scaffolding at

different levels doing their work. they're start from the top and work their way down. >> reporter: tackling the restoration is difficult, but what's important to stakeholders is to make the repairs without looking like any of the -- >> they have to put humpty-dumpty back together again as exactly as it was, or it loses the historical authenticity. >> reporter: the final outcome is experted to restore the monument to its old glory. >> it will look really good when it's done. >> reporter: there is still two big questions. when can visitors go back into the monument? >> well, there's no specific date, but at least another year. at the washington monument, richard jordan, news4. it's a new term and a new pour portrait for the first lady. how times have changed after four years at the white house. and we could be minutes away from learning new details about the deadly sxloings that leveled a popular restaurant.

some of our wednesday's kids have the opportunity this week to get some special attention and spruce up for spring at the same time. >> it was spa date at the aveda institute of beauty where some

teens were welcome by the school's director. barbara harrison said they had a great time being showered by the talented students. >> reporter: nails were first. some of our wednesday's chi teen girls got to enjoy a spa day here at the aveda institute. >> a little sparkle in there. >> reporter: they got to share the experience with their mentors for the day from the sore errority. >> we promote scholarship and service and community service a part of what the organization stands for. >> reporter: how do you like what you're having done now? >> i'm pretty excited. it was like we're going to get some nails done. i thought it was a great day today. >> day i'm going to have my nails done, my hair and my makeup. >> reporter: wow. 16-year-old shania has been featured twice. she told us again of her dream of finding a forever home.

>> i said i wanted to have a mom, a dad and a brr and a sister. >> reporter: this is really good. >> zanyeta is 17 now. >> just looking for any kind of family. i'm not really picky our anything like that. open to anyone that's nice, and want to have boundaries and rules that actually make sense. >> reporter: and 17-year-old kendra, featured last year as a wednesday's child. >> i remember the last time we met we talked about finding a family for you. are you still hoping that happens? >> yes. but today was a day to just have fun and feel beautiful. in the end, not only did they look picture perfect, the girls were surrounded by all those that helped with their beauty makeovers, and a whole group of sorority sisters. it felt like a big happy family for a day. barbara harrison, news4 for wednesday's child. if you have room in your home and your heart for one of these wednesday's children,

please call our special adoption hotline, 1-88-to-adopt-me. or search it on nbcwashington.com. former presidential candidate mitt romney ready to step back into the national spotlight. where he will make his first big public speech. and it's happening across the country and in our community. teenagers dying for the hottest trends. why it's hitting the black community especially hard. that's coming up. cold and blustery day. gorgeous as the sun sets behind is the washington monument. that is so pretty. temperatures, though, they will be dropping down under the freezing mark by 8:00. that's right, another cold night with very low windchill readings. and a new storm for friday

aaron has information on an accident that will cause big problems for the commute tonight. >> apparently a train hit some sort of trailer sitting on the tracks on route 29 lee highway in gainesville. no injuries with this one, but it's stopped traffic in both direction on route 29. traffic also backing up, some reporters are saying onto 66, as rush hour is moving into that area. call your family if they're headed that way, to avoid that intersection until they can get the training and tractor out of the way. live pictures as soon as we get them. i'm aaron gilchrest. new video shows the moment an explosion rocked an upscale market.

it was taken across the street from j.j.'s restaurant, a historic restaurant, very popular. a construction crew hit a gas line here, triggering the blast. cadaver dogs found the remains of at least one person in that rubble this morning. police aren't sure if the remains belonged to a restaurant employee who is still missing tonight. we're expecting an update any minute now from kansas city. let's head back outside. it's a beautiful sunset, a crisp day. it would be nice if it was only crisp, right, veronica? >> that's right, it would be nice if we only had to deal with the cold, but we've got to deal with the wind. that's what's behind me right now. our winds sustained at 15 to about 20 miles per hour, but look at these wind gusts right now. they're generally around this 30 miles per hour to the north and west. 33 in leesburg, virginia. your current wind gusts, holding at 26, camp springs, maryland,

but, again, at least it looks nice outside, right? stay inside, where it's nice and warm. northwest wind at 17 miles per hour. looking at temperatures from gaithersburg at 32, to 38 fort belvoir. 40 degrees, our highs today just south of d.c., because that was the area that had most of the sunshine today. we had clouds that held up to the north. well, i do think during the overnight period we'll have most of these clouds moving out, even up north. year temperature by tomorrow morning starting out at 22 degrees, columbia maryland, 24 degrees up at olney, 23 starting out in ashford, virginia, to 26 degrees right in d.c. high temperatures tomorrow on par with where they were today. should be getting back into the low and mid 40s across the area. now just better by the afternoon, because the winds will finally start to subside. as far as friday goes, though, it's a new storm and it's still

going to be cold around here. so a bit of snow and sleet to deal with that during the evening rush. mainly north and west of d.c., but could create just a few isolated slick spots by perhaps around 7:00, 8:00 p.m., mostly rain that occurs after midnight. there's your drive day for the weekend. indeed it's higher temperatures, guys. cracking down on crime on a particular stretch of the metro system. tonight transit police want riders to be especially aware. transportation report adam tuss is at the an acosta station. he tells us about a crime that took place just this morning and what police are doing about it. >> reporter: kids throwing rocks at buses, robberies, a high-profile shooting, a lot of crime along this section. tonight metro transit please and mpd officers out here talking to metro riders, and even just this morning another robbery on a nearby metro bus.

about 9:00 this morning, metro transit police say this man got on a w-6 bus in southeast, showed a gun and took a woman's purse. police say it's an all too family scene along this stretch between the an accostia and congress heights station. >> traditionally this area has been giving us problems on and off. transit police out here tonight, huddling up and talking to riders, reminding them they're keeping an eye on this part of the system. there's been crimes recently, including a young woman shot and killed holding her 1-year-old. the killer was the 1-year-old's father. riders say they have to be careful. >> there's a lot of crimes, people having their phones stolen, but fortunately i haven't been a victim of that. >> i think -- because it's like -- it's not even safe to ride metro no more. >> reporter: others say they trust the police are keeping

them safe. >> i feel safe and secure when i'm around here. you always see police protection. >> reporter: kids throwing rocks, that's also been a problem here. it reaped the point that flyers were being handed out around the neighborhood, asking people to stop throwing rocks at buses, but tonight police preaching their message to riders that they're watching. back here at the an accostia metro station as police talk to riders. transit police say they do about 10 to 15 of these enforcement efforts a month. adam tuss, news4. mitt romney has kept a low profile since the presidential election in november. now the former governor of massachusetts announces his first public event speaking next month at the political action conference. one of his advisers says it will be a chance to express his appreciation to his supporters and friends. this year the annual gathering in prince george's county. >> the recent deaths of prince george's county high school students is exposing a troubling trend.

young people killed for what they are carrying. zachary kiesch talked to community members and leaders about how status symbols could be contributing to violence. >> reporter: they have to be the reflecting tongues. i remember skipping school and going to the mall or addison mall trying to grab them as soon as the store opened up at 10:00 in the morning, being late to school, but you go with a fresh may of js on. he wears them just to connect with the youngsters, but whether it's the latest hellie hansen jacket or jordan, the recent murder of charles walker jr., allegedly shot for the new shoes he was carrying. young black men are literally dies for material status symbols. >> it's material that our community as a whole we have to watch our backs over something as simple as shoes action

walking around with that's used, like that's not just good at all in our community. >> reporter: the trend is nothing new, but maybe it's hitting closer to home. university of maryland sociologyist dr. chris mars says the problem runs deeper. >> because in some ways blacks are so oppressed they don't know what to do. sometimes it's like a cry for help, if i can't get to college, i can't get the house, the fine things in life, i'm not going to be the middle class, i'm going to see how to get it from the next person. that seems to me like a strong cry for help. it's not just all black men are violent. i don't think that's the case at all. >> reporter: all the talk at suitland is over tennis shoes, but african-americans aren't the only group making status decisions subconsciously. >> everybody knows, sorry starbucks, dunkin' donuts has really good coffee, but you won't go there to get your coffee, but you go to starbucks, because you walk in with your starbucks coffee.

it's just ingrained. we robotically go through the motions. >> reporter: yettest notice work ethic or leadership qualities that many require about michael jordan, it's his line of basketball shoes. ♪ i want to be like mike ahead good news tonight about a student in our area. how a high school student got the surprise of a lifetime before heading off to college.

the cost of a college education has never been higher, but one local high school senior won't have to worry about that. >> he's the first person on his entire family to be going to college. news4's seth lemon was there when the student got a scholarship surprise. >> to alisan. >> he had no idea this school day would change his life. in front of his class mates they friendship collegiate academy, he received a full academic scholar ship to hanover college. >> words can't describe how i feel. >> reporter: he beat out almost 200 for the money. monica green says his ideas weren't the only reason they were impressed. >> when you go back and read his application and you see that he's done well, but i had to have them there. >> the youngest of three, he is the first in his family to be accepted to college.

>> i'm -- extremely happy. i couldn't achieve this without all the support i've received. >> reporter: he said that support came from the teachers and staff at friendship collegiate academy, where they don't allow students to use their circumstances as an excuse. >> we're in the heart of ward 7, a high poverty, low income area, high unemployment. the only way to eliminate that barrier is through higher education. >> teachers say this is another way of the school doing what the name says it does. getting students into college and making sure they graduate. >> he plans to study computer science. shaking and overwhelm with emotion. alizan called his mom. >> get what? i got the scholarship! a surprise scholar ship for a humble scholar who trades it for collegiate pride. seth lemon, news4. right now at 6:00, a