Detective Testifies Regarding 2023 Homicide

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 26, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On March 22, DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe heard testimony from a detective involved in the investigation of a 2023 homicide, leaving one dead and one injured.

Christopher Patrick Haynes, 30, is charged with first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the shooting of Brent Hayward, 33, on Aug. 12, 2023, on the 1500 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE. A second individual also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the shooting.

Haynes fled the scene immediately, and was arrested the following month on Sept. 6 but escaped police custody from George Washington University Hospital and was subsequently rearrested.

At Haynes’ preliminary hearing, prosecution began by asking the detective to walk through the events that occurred the evening of the shooting, as well as how the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) identified the vehicle allegedly used by Haynes that evening.

The detective explained that the victims had gotten into a verbal and physical altercation with Haynes, who then drove away from the scene, returned minutes later, and got into another altercation, at which Haynes allegedly pulled a gun from his vehicle, making threats at the victims.

After leaving the scene a second time, the detective explained that Haynes allegedly parked his vehicle at a church around the corner from the crime scene, walked back, and opened fire on the victims.

When asked to explain how the vehicle and shooter were identified, the detective explained that Haynes had allegedly purchased the vehicle involved in the shooting, a white Dodge Durango, using a fake name, Jeff, months prior.

The defendant also used other alias names in reference to the car. The detective identified the vehicle in the security footage using key vehicle features, as well as multiple large decals affixed to the rear windshield.

The prosecutor also submitted an Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) report that identified the vehicle. The report showed the vehicle’s unique license plate, location of the scan, as well as a photo of the vehicle which showcased the same decals on the rear windshield.

The detective also explained that four witnesses identified Haynes as the shooter. 

The prosecutor then submitted one of the numerous 911 calls received regarding the shooting, in which the caller is heard saying “This guy’s dead.”

During cross-examination, Nikki Lotze, Haynes’ defense attorney, pointed out, in the surveillance video submitted to evidence, that there were several individuals present. She asked if he had received statements from them, but the detective said that “we have not identified those individuals yet.”

Lotze also asked the detective about an alleged cell phone video that her client had taken during the initial verbal altercation, questioning whether a phone had been recovered from him at the time of his arrest.

When the detective answered yes, she asked him whether there was video found on the cell phone, to which he replied no.

Finally, she asked the detective about his report, in which the second victim in the shooting, who survived, gave a statement. According to the detective, the surviving victim of the shooting was drunk and couldn’t directly remember every detail of the incident.

Parties are set to reconvene April 11 to continue the preliminary hearing.