DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced a defendant to 107 years in prison on March 20 for his involvement in a 2020 shooting spree that resulted in multiple injuries and the death of a 13-year-old boy.
Reginald Steele, 27, was convicted on Nov. 19, 2025 of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of carrying a pistol without a license. The charges stem from his involvement in the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, at the 600 block of S Street, NW, on March 1, 2020. Another individual sustained injuries during the incident.
Steele was also convicted of a non-fatal shooting that injured two individuals on Feb. 22, 2020, on the 700 block of Farragut Street, NW, and a non-fatal shooting with no reported injuries on March 1, 2020 on the unit block of Channing Street, NE.
In addition to these charges, Steele pleaded guilty on Feb. 13, 2025 to assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a stabbing that occurred on Aug. 3, 2021, at the DC Jail. One individual sustained wounds to the neck.
At Steele’s sentencing, prosecutors asked Judge Brandt to impose a sentence of 109 years.
“This number is not just an abstraction” prosecutors said, but a reflection of Steele’s actions.
Prosecutors argued Lukes’ murder wasn’t impulsive but that Steele and his friends “were hunting.” The prosecution continued that “they were looking for victims and ambushed [Lukes and his friends] in an alley.”
They only wanted to play basketball, prosecutors stated. They were just trying to get to the neighborhood court when they were hunted down and shot at in a crime that was “purposeful, planned, and intended.”
Prosecutors claimed when Steele was at the DC Jail he stabbed the brother of one of the boys playing basketball with Lukes. Despite having open felony cases, he did it anyway, prosecutors emphasized.
Additionally, prosecutors contended Steele hadn’t shown any remorse or accountability for his actions. They referenced a statement from Steele’s father in which he admitted Steele doesn’t like taking orders. This sentence is “how to protect the community from a man who will not be deterred by anything,” said prosecutors.
According to prosecutors, the impact of Steele’s crimes affect the entire community.
Steele “earned every minute of the 109-year-sentence,” prosecutors stated. “He made his bed, and now he must lie in it.”
Steele’s attorney, Megan Allburn, prefaced her sentencing remarks by telling Judge Brandt nothing she can say will diminish the losses felt in the courtroom.
There’s no question the community needs to be protected, Allburn said, but 109 years is excessive and says Steele isn’t capable of reform. Allburn pointed out that it was Steele’s birthday. He knows he’s likely going to die in federal prison, she said, but the prosecution is saying Steele’s life doesn’t matter by asking for that extreme sentence.
According to Allburn, Steele’s father was correct in saying Steele doesn’t like taking orders when being “barked at,” but he can be reasonable. If directions are calmly explained, Steele is more than willing to follow them, she said.
Allburn further argued Steele’s frontal lobe wasn’t fully developed at the time of the shootings, as he was only 21-years-old.
According to Allburn, Steele was a victim of street violence during his childhood and didn’t have the structure and education he needed growing up. She pointed out Steele’s struggles with reading as a testament to the failure of the education system.
Also, Allburn described the DC Jail as a dangerous, hostile, aggressive, and dirty place. Steele has taken responsibility for that stabbing and acknowledged his wrong, showing “growth and maturity,” asserted Allburn.
“Justice and mercy are not opposites, they’re partners,” Allburn claimed. She asked Judge Brandt to show both when imposing a sentence for Steele.
Given the opportunity to speak, Steele said he couldn’t talk about Lukes or the other people he “allegedly shot at” because he was filing an appeal.
However, Steele admitted guilt for the jail stabbing and told Judge Brandt that regardless of the sentence he received, he would rehabilitate himself. He said he wanted to do positive things and make it right for the day he returns home.
Judge Brandt said “this is a very hard day.” She gave her condolences to Lukes’ family and acknowledged Steele’s brother and family friend who were at every hearing supporting him.
To Steele, she said “I am truly sorry because I believe education is the key to everything. I am woefully sorry and embarrassed that the DC public school system has let you down.”
Judge Brandt said when she hears words like, “Steele’s incapable of rehabilitation,” she doesn’t agree. Everyone can change, she said, but Steele has to put his best foot forward.
She told Allburn she tries to be merciful. However, Judge Brandt also took into consideration the previous victim impact statement from Lukes’ mother at Steele’s co-defendants’ sentencing.
“It is within an extremely heavy heart that I impose this sentence,” Judge Brandt said.
Judge Brandt sentenced Steele to 45 years for first-degree murder. Steele received 14 years for each count of assault with intent to kill while armed and five years for each count of assault with a dangerous weapon. For the stabbing case, he received time already served.
He received five years for each count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two years for each count of carrying a pistol without a license, all terms served consecutively. The sentences for six counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of carrying a pistol without a license will run concurrently with the other charges.
Steele received a total 107 years imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release.
Judge Brandt told Steele because of the DC Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA), he is eligible to apply for release after 15 years. The IRAA allows individuals who committed crimes before age 25 and served at least 15 years to petition for sentence reduction. She also told him he has 30 days to file appeals.
No further hearings have been scheduled.
