The lead detective in a traffic shooting case described his interactions with the victim and analyzed video footage in a continuing trial before DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur on July 22.
Marcus Reavenell, 48, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction greater than one year, unlawful discharge of a firearm, reckless driving, and destruction of a property less than $1,000. These charges stem from Reavenell’s alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred at the intersection of 58th and Foote Streets, NE on May 14, 2025. No injuries were reported.
The prosecution called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who reported to the scene of the alleged assault. The detective said he spoke to the victim, who seemed “excited and grateful to have officers” help him.
The victim also provided footage from cameras on his van, which the detective said he used to identify the license plate of the suspect’s vehicle that the victim described as having shot toward his vehicle. In prior testimony, the victim said he had cameras on the front and both sides of his van.
Based on the footage, the detective said that he saw a silver “revolver-style pistol” fired outside of the driver seat window of a white van toward the vehicle directly in front.
The detective said he and other MPD officers scanned the surrounding area for shell casings and knocked on nearby doors asking for any other information to advance the case. While they were unsuccessful in finding any casings or additional witnesses, other officers were able to find the white van unoccupied the day after the incident. The van was towed and brought to an impoundment lot as evidence, according to the detective.
In the white van, the detective allegedly collected an employee handbook, employment application and formal employee grievance form from Reavenell’s then-employer, American Community Services, in the van.
The detective said he then went to Reavenell’s office and interviewed three of his co-workers. First, he showed them a still image from the video footage of the incident and no co-worker immediately identified the suspect. Then, after watching a slowed down video clip, one of the co-workers reportedly told the detective, “I know who it is” and stated it was a person said to be Marcus Reavenell.
According to the detective, he also filed a warrant to search Reavenell’s Instagram account. There he found a message reportedly sent by the defendant that read, “slim, my van got stolen from my job while I was at work.” The Instagram account also showed several videos that included an individual the detective later identified as Reavenell after meeting him in person.
A video displayed by the prosecution from the Instagram account reportedly showed a white van. The detective claimed the tag number and license plate matched the suspect vehicle.
The detective will continue testifying the next day of trial.
The prosecution also called a custodian of records for Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta), the parent company for apps including Instagram, to testify. He explained that Instagram preserves information about users’ accounts and post history in electronic records, which law enforcement may request to access for investigations.
The prosecution approached the witness with a flash drive with several of these records that MPD received from Meta in connection to the case. The records included direct messages sent from an Instagram account associated with an email of Marcus Reavenell.
On cross-examination, Reavenell’s attorney, Michael Bruckheim, clarified with the witness that while Meta’s records reflect what account made a post or sent a message, Instagram cannot keep track of what individual is using an account when something is posted.
Parties are scheduled to resume trial on July 23.
Coauthored by Benjamin Messinger, Nina Raj, Chloe Hockenson, Helena Berhe and Genevieve Geller
