Attorneys delivered opening statements in a mass shooting trial before DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson on Sept. 15.
Ronnell Offutt, 36, is charged with five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed committed against a minor, six counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense, and aggravated assault while armed. The charges are in connection to his alleged involvement in a mass shooting at a bus stop on the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE on Feb. 4, 2019 that injured five people, including a five-year-old.
During opening statements, the prosecution asked the jury to imagine Offutt firing eight shots into a bus stop at 30th Street and Pennsylvania and striking five victims, including a five-year-old girl.
“The defendant turned that bus stop into a bloodbath,” the prosecution said.
Prosecutors claimed Offutt committed the shooting after he was allegedly robbed a few hours earlier. According to the prosecution, an officer stopped Offutt to ensure he was okay, and will testify she took a picture of Offutt because she was concerned.
The prosecution claimed that Offutt refused help from the officer, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
“He made sure in no uncertain terms that she knew he was looking for no help from the police,” prosecutors said.
The prosecution said that they recovered hats from the defendant’s car that resembled a distinctive baseball cap worn by the shooter. They also allegedly obtained the gun used in the shooting as well as cache of video, and physical, evidence that would prove to the jury the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Donna Beasley, Offutt’s defense attorney, focused on what the prosecution did not have. Beasley noted that there is no witness that can specifically identify Offutt as the shooter in the case and that the story presented by the prosecution is just one interpretation of the facts.
“There’s a lot of stuff the [prosecution] has left out of their version of events,” Beasley said.
Beasley continued the defense’s opening statement by reminding the jury that the prosecution would have to prove every claim they made beyond a reasonable doubt.
“All I’m asking you at this juncture is to be neutral,” Beasley said.
Immediately after opening statements, the prosecution brought a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer to the stand who responded to the scene of the shooting and located the injured child. The officer testified to interviewing the victim’s grandmother and noted during cross examination that he had no information about a suspect when he arrived on scene.
The prosecution also called an MPD commander to testify about an incident at the intersection of Nicholson Street and Minnesota Avenue, SE hours before the shooting.
The officer testified making a stop there after witnessing a shouting match between a man, who prosecutors claim was Offutt, and a woman with several children on the sidewalk. Prior to engaging the group, the officer took a picture of the scene, depicting the man who prosecutors claim was Offutt standing in the street next to a silver sedan with a damaged rear window. Prosecutors claimed the silver car was the same one that Offutt had when he was allegedly jumped before the shooting.
The officer testified to asking whether they required any assistance to which the man replied, “f***k 12,” slang for “f***k the police. After which the argument dissolved and the participants departed.
Parties are set to reconvene Sept. 16.
