A detective testified about a series of events that culminated in a fatal shooting in an America’s Best Wings fast foot establishment. The evidence was presented in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Neal E Kravitz on July 8.
Antoine Lowery, 20, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Jacquise Zanders that occurred at the America’s Best Wings located on the 4500 block of Benning Road, SE on May 13. Another individual sustained injuries during the incident which may have been gang related.
A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) described CCTV video footage from the incident in court.
Video revealed that the suspect arrived at America’s Best Wings minutes before Zanders. The detective claimed Lowrey waited for Zanders to pull into the parking lot and followed him. According to an eyewitness and the surviving victim, Lowery was inside the store for approximately 11-to-12 minutes and never spoke to anyone or ordered anything. Shortly after, Zanders entered the store and was shot almost immediately.
The prosecution used video footage and the detective’s testimony to argue premeditation and establish probable cause for the first-degree murder charge. According to the prosecution, Zanders and Lowery allegedly belonged to Lincoln Heights Crew and Clay Terrace Crew, respectively. The prosecution alleged that the neighborhood crews, which prosecutors say are criminal street gangs, were involved an on-going beef and that could be the motive for the shooting.
Defense attorney Austin Terrance argued that premeditation could not be established and that there were several discrepancies among MPD officers who identified Lowrey as the suspect after a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) flyer was put out for a Black male with a black sweater, black ski mask and black and gray shoes.
The detective said that Lowery was wearing the same skull cap, jacket, hood, and shoes seen on the suspect during a different run-in with police on May 11. This helped link him to the crime.
However, the detective also noted that the reflective stripes visible on the sleeves of the jacket in the May 13 surveillance footage were not present on the jacket Lowery was wearing during his May 11 arrest.
Ultimately, Judge Kravitz stated that due to the weight of the evidence presented he found probable cause.
Parties are slated to reconvene Sept. 26.
