Anthony Coleman pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on May 23, in exchange for the prosecution’s dismissing all other charges in the case and limiting their sentencing request to 138 months in prison.
Coleman, 34, was originally charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict. The charges stemmed from his involvement in a non-fatal shooting on Dec. 7, 2022, on the 100 block of Galveston Place, SW, that left one individual injured.
Judge Kravitz said the maximum sentence for aggravated assault while armed is 30 years in prison with five years of supervised release, and/or a fine of $75,000. The minimum sentence is five years in prison.
According to the plea agreement, Judge Kravitz said, he can impose a sentence longer than the one requested by the prosecution. Additionally, the defense has agreed not request a sentence lower than the bottom of the sentencing guidelines.
The prosecutor said that, had the case gone to trial, they would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Coleman fired a pistol at the victim multiple times while the victim was waiting to buy cigarettes from an acquaintance. The victim was struck by four gunshots, injuring his arteries, lungs, small intestine and colon so that he required lifesaving surgery.
In the process of determining whether to accept Coleman’s guilty plea, Judge Kravitz asked Coleman if he was acting in self-defense when he shot the victim.
“Yes,” Coleman answered. Proceedings then paused for Coleman to confer with his defense attorney, Alvin Thomas, Jr., since a claim of self-defense is incompatible with a guilty plea.
“He’s not claiming self-defense, and he won’t be making any claims of self-defense throughout the process,” Thomas told the court. Thomas said he would explain more of the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Coleman’s sentencing.
Judge Kravitz said to Coleman, “On a previous occasion, [the victim] had made some threats towards you and perhaps someone else, but on the night of June 3, he hadn’t made any threats that would have supported your acting in self-defense. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Coleman agreed.
Before accepting Coleman’s guilty plea, Judge Kravitz asked if he wanted to delay because he appeared to be in physical discomfort. Coleman said he had been experiencing sharp pains in his shoulder for the past few days but had not been able to see a doctor because the DC Jail has been in lockdown.
“Is that because of the murder that happened there last week?” Judge Kravitz asked.
“That, and other things going on there,” Coleman said. He told the court he was capable of completing his guilty plea without delay.
Judge Kravitz instructed Thomas to put in a medical alert for the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide a doctor for Coleman.
Coleman’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12.
