A defendant’s neighbor, who was the victim to a shooting, testified before a jury in DC Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno’s courtroom on Feb. 3.
Juwan Russell, 29, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, endangerment with a firearm, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, carrying a pistol without a license, unlawful possession of ammunition and destruction of property. These charges stem from his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting incident on the 1000 block of 16th Street, NE on June 25, 2025. No injuries were reported.
Prosecutors called on the person who Russell allegedly targeted. In their opening statements, the prosecution claimed the disagreement that led to the shooting stemmed from a parking dispute.
After multiple heated encounters the day of the incident, the victim testified that Russell pointed a handgun towards the victim’s vehicle after which the victim heard rapid gunfire.
Living in the apartment complex directly behind the defendant, the victim claimed that he would encounter Russell several times a week. While the victim initially described their encounters as being “neighborly,” they turned into “mean mugs and stares.”
The relationship was further strained by ongoing disputes over parking. According to the victim, Russell would not permit the victim to park any of his vehicles in a parking lot adjacent to Russell’s apartment building.
The victim explained a conversation he had with Russell about this dispute stating, “we’re all neighbors, we’re all trying to park our cars.” He also expressed concerns about not wanting to get ticketed by parking his car on the street. After the victim mentioned this, Russell responded by saying “I own this,” referring to the lot and told him that “you don’t need to park your motherf*****g car back here.”
According to the victim, on the day of the incident, he was being followed by Russell and another individual, who he referred to as “young man.” He reportedly went inside a nearby building to try and find another person to provide safety. He stated he had no intention of fighting anyone.
When returning to his car, he alleged, Russell told him “I’ll f*****g kill you.” Later that same day, the victim drove past the alley and ran into Russell, who reportedly stopped him in his car, took out his gun and shot at his vehicle.
Lisbeth Sapirstein, Russell’s attorney, questioned the victim if anyone else was present in the vehicle when the shooting happened. According to the victim, his stepson was in the passenger seat. However, this was not shared in the initial police interview.
Sapirstein mentioned that the day of the incident, the victim had a BB Gun with a compressor in his car. The victim stated that the BB gun, which he described as “like an air gun,” was not visible in the car and that it didn’t belong to him. Sapirstein argued that the gun was in fact seen and that his stepson allegedly pointed the BB gun at the young man that was with the shooter.
When the victim was unable to recall his flight path after the shooting he stated, “Every intricate detail is hard to remember when bullets are coming your way.”
“It’s a lot, you know? Four, five bullets coming your way,” he stated.
The prosecution also called another neighbor who testified that her “vehicle was shot.” The neighbor affirmed this after being presented with a recording of her parking her car on the street of the incident and a later photograph of her damaged vehicle.
According to court documents, four cartridge casings were recovered on the scene by law enforcement. Parked on the same street, this neighbor’s car was found to have sustained two defects that align with the trajectory suggested by the location of the casings.
Parties are slated to reconvene Feb. 4.
