DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel sentenced a shooting defendant to two years of probation in a hearing on Feb. 6.
Jaquan Proctor, 23, pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2025, to assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a domestic violence related shooting on the 5500 block of Illinois Avenue, NW, on July 30, 2025. Proctor shot at his mother and brother, but neither sustained injuries.
At sentencing, the prosecution said Proctor’s mother understands that he needs to be held accountable for his actions but that he struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues.
The prosecution requested that Proctor be sentenced to 30 months in prison, all suspended but 18 months. They also asked for three years of supervised release with mental health counseling and anger management courses.
“[Proctor] shot into a room where his mother and brother were” and that “it could have been much worse,” said prosecutors in support of their sentence request.
Prosecutors also requested Judge Israel order Proctor to continue to stay away from his brother. Judge Israel granted the request and also ordered a NO HATS (harassing, assaulting, threatening, or stalking) from Proctor to his mother.
Proctor’s attorney, Karen Minor, asked for probation, instead of a prison sentence. According to Minor, Proctor’s six months he served at the DC Jail impacted his character because he could not see his infant daughter.
Minor said Proctor recognized how his attitudes influenced his behavior and what he needed to change. She added that Proctor was taking courses at the DC Jail and trying to control his emotions.
Proctor told Judge Israel that “jail taught me a lot…it improved me” and he learned that “every action doesn’t need a reaction.”
The incident was a family matter, not in the community, noted Judge Israel when deciding her sentence.
Judge Israel sentenced Proctor to 30 months of imprisonment, all suspended in favor of two years of supervised probation. Proctor will be required to register as a gun offender in DC, complete 90 hours of community service, and a domestic violence intervention program. If Proctor does not comply with the terms of his probation, he could be required to serve the prison sentence.
Parties were dismissed and no further dates were set.
