Jury Finds Shooting Defendant Guilty on Most Charges

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

Jurors in DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo’s courtroom reached a verdict on June 5 in a non-fatal shooting incident finding the defendant guilty on ten-out-of-12 charges. Ultimately, jurors acquitted Johnson of assault with intent to kill while armed and one possession charge, while convicting him of all others.

Tyrone Astorias Johnson, 43, was originally charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, possession of a firearm by a convict,, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of ammunition, for his involvement in a shooting that injured one individual. The incident occurred on Aug. 30, 2022, at the Starburst Plaza Park, a busy public space, on the 1500 block of Maryland Avenue, NE.

According to court documents and witness testimony, the victim suffered injuries to his legs and genitalia. He was wheelchair bound for a month and had to relearn how to walk again.

On June 3 in closing arguments, the prosecution stated it was a “grave misfortune” the victim encountered the defendant that morning.

The victim testified he went through the park because he was going home after seeking hospital treatment for an unrelated matter.

According to the victim he noticed a man sleeping on a bench and asked if he needed help.

During the encounter, the victim testified Johnson came along asked him for a cigarette but he declined saying he didn’t have any which triggered the shooting.

“I was trying to help someone and then I got shot,” said the victim.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented a large amount of video surveillance and body camera footage to jurors.

Body camera footage minutes after the shooting shows the victim saying a Black man, accompanied by a White female with blonde hair, shot him. In the footage, he can be heard telling officers he saw the Black man and White woman take off towards the Pentacle Apartments, which was corroborated by surveillance footage.

Despite being presented a photo, the victim never identified Johnson as the shooter, according to a detective’s testimony. The photo array was shown to the victim by the detective less than three hours after the shooting as the victim lay in a hospital bed.

Johnson’s ex-girlfriend’s was largely uncooperative during testimony

She said, “I’ve tried to block this out of my brain and move on,” stating lost her son and is homeless because of the incident.

In openings, defense attorney Joseph Fay claimed the only reason Johnson was at the park to begin with was because his girlfriend at the time, although trying to quit smoking, wanted a loose cigarette.

Fay said the ex-girlfriend suffers from memory loss. When asked by the prosecutor if she could see and locate Johnson, she stated, “I don’t see him at all.” “No sir, he’s not in this courtroom,” she said.

In video surveillance, the ex-girlfriend is identified with an individual said to beJohnson before, during, and after the shooting. She testified to having never seen Johnson with a gun, and claimed she had her back turned away from Johnson when she heard the sound of gunshots at the park.

In his closing remarks, Fay reminded the jury that Johnson was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” emphasizing that a gun was never recovered in connection to the incident.

Fay also claimed that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Johnson had an intent to kill the victim. Conversely, the prosecution cited the gruesome injuries suffered by the victim.

Parties are slated to reconvene for sentencing Sept. 6.