Prosecutors alleged a defendant shot his mother’s neighbor over a financial dispute before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on March 3, while his defense argued he fired in self-defense.
Derrick Gladden, 55, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, and unlawful possession of ammunition for his alleged involvement in shooting a man on the patio of his apartment on the 2300 block of Marion Barry Avenue, SE on April 15, 2024. The victim sustained one gunshot wound.
Prosecutors claimed Gladden was angry with the victim because he believed the victim owed him hundreds of dollars for a vehicle. They said Gladden approached the victim on his patio, pulled out the gun, demanded money, and then shot the victim in the chest.
“The anger got the best of him,” a prosecutor said in their opening statement.
Prosecutors said doorbell camera footage will show Gladden leaving the scene with one pink bag and one black bag.
Prosecutors said an “arsenal” of weapons and ammunition was found in Gladden’s home, which match a bullet casing Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found at the scene. They also noted that the gunshot could have been fatal, but the victim survived after being one of the first DC residents to receive a blood-transfusion in ambulance transport.
Gladden’s attorney, Alvin Thomas, said Gladden did not fire out of anger, but in self-defense after the victim became irate when Gladden mentioned the money and pulled out a knife. Thomas disputed prosecutors’ claim that Gladden shot the victim in the chest with the intent to kill. According to Thomas, the shot hit the victim’s shoulder.
Thomas pointed out that there is no clear evidence about the circumstances of the shooting, noting that witnesses who heard the argument initially thought the two were fighting about sports.
“In this case, what you don’t see is just as important as what you do see,” Thomas said.
After openings, prosecutors examined a former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who was the first to respond to the shooting. He said that when he arrived, a witness flagged him down and brought him to the apartment’s back patio.
Prosecutors showed the officer’s body-worn-camera footage, which showed the witness calling to the officer and a gray Audi leaving the parking lot. The footage then showed the victim on his hands and knees bleeding from his back with someone holding a cloth to his wound.
“He was slow to respond and appeared to be in pain,” the officer said about the victim.
The officer said he prepared to perform first aid but the ambulance arrived soon after. While the victim was carried into the ambulance, the officer patted him down searching for an ID card and did not find any weapons in his pockets.
That evening, when the officer returned to the crime scene, he found a bullet casing near the patio. Prosecutors claim this casing matched ammunition found in Gladden’s home.
The officer also showed the victim’s bloody shirt to the jury, which was cut down the middle by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) while administering care. Zoomed-in photos of the shirt showed a small hole near the left shoulder, noted the officer.
On cross-examination, Thomas confirmed with the officer that this hole was “more towards the shoulder area” than the chest.
“The scene was chaotic,” the officer said. While being cross-examined, he affirmed that he was not watching all of the civilians present and did not know what they each were doing.
Prosecutors then called a DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC FEMS) sergeant who responded to the scene. He said the victim had injuries to the left side of his upper chest and midback consistent with a gunshot wound. He gave the victim a blood transfusion in the ambulance as he was displaying symptoms of hemorrhagic shock, which causes low blood pressure and limits blood flow to the brain, and can lead to death.
The sergeant explained how he treated the victim with “whole blood,” which can be used for a transfusion on anyone, regardless of blood type, without an adverse reaction. The victim was one of the first people in DC to receive this treatment while in transport, as DC had only begun providing whole blood in transport in April 2024, the sergeant said.
The sergeant said the victim’s whole body was evaluated during a rapid trauma assessment and no weapons were found. “If we found something that way, we would remove it in a safe manner,” he said.
EMTs also did not find any weapons in or around the ambulance, according to both the MPD officer and FEMS sergeant.
The sergeant said the victim had air and blood trapped around his lung, indicating a collapse. “You’re basically removing 50% of your ability to breathe,” he said.
During cross-examination, the sergeant said he was not on scene when the incident began and was not qualified to determine what angle the bullet entered the body.
When Thomas asked if blood flow could be reduced by alcohol use, the sergeant said it is not possible. “That’s an old-wives’ tale,” he said.
Thomas also confirmed with the sergeant that the wound was nearer the collarbone than the heart or chest.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on March 4.
