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By
Michelle Roldan
- February 27, 2025
Daily Stories
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Defense attorneys claimed a fatal shooting victim was the individual that escalated a verbal altercation into a homicide before a jury in DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman’s courtroom on Feb. 25.
Daquan Gray, 22, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license outside of his home or business for his alleged involvement in the murder of 15-year-old Jaylyn Wheeler, on the 3000 block of Randall Place, SE, on May 16, 2018.
During opening statements, Dana Page, Gray’s attorney, argued that what the prosecution described as a planned fight between high schoolers with Gray shooting Wheeler and running away, was actually an escalated situation when Wheeler got involved physically, had a gun, and threatened Gray with it.
“If you’ve got your dog use it b****,” Page claimed Wheeler said menacing Gray.
“Daquan had a single moment to think how am I going to make it home to his mom,” Page said.
She argued that the prosecution has been ignoring the evidence of self-defense since the incident.
During their opening, the prosecution showed videos and images of an individual identified as Gray allegedly running away and placing something under a tarp in the backyard of a home.
They explained a gun was retrieved by a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who had seen an individual, later identified as Gray, running away. According to the prosecution, the officer did not believe Gray posed a threat, and returned to the residence where Gray reportedly placed something under a tarp, and found a .25-caliber handgun.
The gun was swabbed for DNA evidence, but because of preservation problems with the sample, DNA evidence will not be used in this case, prosecutors told the jury.
As the trial unfolds, the prosecution will call a witness who was present at the 2018 fight.
The trial is set to continue Feb. 26.