Defendant Held in Alley Shooting Case

By Rohan Naval - April 24, 2024
Daily Stories | Documents | Non-Fatal Shooting | Victims |

DC Superior Court Judge Eric Glover heard arguments for detention of a shooting defendant in a hearing on April 23.

Amontae Moody, 18, is charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm for his alleged involvement in a shooting that occurred at the 1700 block of Independence Avenue, SE on April 22. 

According to court documents, ShotSpotter detected 27 gunshots between 2:16 and 2:20 a. m. on the day of the incident. It is alleged that Moody entered and left the location in a black SUV. 

According to documents by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) after reviewing private surveillance footage, Moody was seen moving through an alley on Independence Avenue ten minutes before the shots were detected, and left immediately after the shots were fired at 2:18 am. 

MPD stated that no individuals were harmed, and that no vehicles or property were damaged. However, they recovered 26 bullet fragments from the location, and also recovered another firearm allegedly owned by Moody after executing a search warrant at the location of the incident.

Moody’s attorney, Kavya Naini, pleaded not guilty to all charges. She further reaffirmed his right to a speedy trial, and requested his release on personal recognizance. 

The prosecution requested that Moody be detained, citing the dangerous nature of the charges and the strength of the evidence in the surveillance footage recovered. 

Naini claimed that the surveillance footage was not clear, and that the identification process used was not strong enough to exclude the possibility of another individual in the footage being the shooter. 

Judge Glover denied release on the grounds that there is sufficient evidence and that the nature of the incident requires that the defendant be held. 

Parties are slated to return April 26 for a preliminary hearing.