Defense Questions Police Conduct in Shooting Trial

By Jenna Lee - November 6, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects | Uncategorized |

A witness working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was questioned about posts on his Facebook page in a shooting case in front of DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on Nov. 5. 

Deon Jenkins, 46, is charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a dangerous weapon outside the home or business with a prior felony, possession of a destructive device, and unlawful possession of a firearm for his alleged involvement in a Sept. 29, 2023, non-fatal shooting that occurred on the 1800 block of M Street, NE where Jenkins sustained multiple injuries. 

According to court documents, Jenkins shot multiple times at a moving vehicle that was speeding toward him. The defendant fell to the ground and fled while the vehicle crashed through a fence and into a nearby yard. 

During the hearing, prosecutors called several officers with MPD who responded to the scene. One officer said she encountered a man on the scene who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, who she identified as the defendant. 

Another officer testified that he saw a white van on the block of the shooting with apparent blood stains on the front passenger door. He also testified that he found a gun in an alley behind a residence on the street along with spent shell casings in multiple locations.

During the trial, defense counsel Lauren Morehouse pulled up Facebook posts allegedly made by the officer who found the gun at the scene, which showed the :Blue Lives Matter” flag and quotes like, “I hunt the evil you pretend doesn’t exist.” Another post showed the officer’s account allegedly commenting on a post about police brutality with laughing emojis. 

Morehouse also brought up pending conduct investigations allegedly against the officer, including a use of force violation that occurred in October. 

On cross examination, another officer testified that in security camera footage there are flashes of light near two separate vehicles that could be muzzle flashes. He also said he had previously lied under oath during testimony in another criminal case where he said there were no sustained findings of conduct violations against him that he knew of, which was not the case. He had a sustained finding against him about an unauthorized vehicle pursuit after which he was suspended for five days.

Yet another MPD officer testified that the defendant did not have a firearm registered in his name at the time of the incident. 

An analyst with the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) testified that he collected the firearm and 23 cartridge casings from the scene. He also testified that he found an additional bullet in a residence on the street where the incident allegedly occurred and a bullet hole in the fence of another residence. 

On cross examination, the witness testified that the casings had different “headstamps” or identification markings. 

Another police witness who swabbed the firearm and magazine for DNA evidence said he accidentally put samples from the firearm and the magazine in the same box, which is not standard procedure. He said analysts were still able to test the samples. 

Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 6.