Did Police Really Find the Killer?

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 1, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

On Oct. 31, a witness identified the shooter in a 2016 homicide. However, another witness spoke of police harassment during the investigation. 

Kenneth Adams is charged with first-degree murder while armed, obstruction of justice and other firearms offenses for allegedly shooting 21-year-old Dante “Te” Kinard on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE in 2016. Apparently, Kinard was not the intended target.

During the trial, a witness denied knowing who the shooter was but, when shown footage of a previous interview with detectives, recalled telling police that Adams shot Kinard.

The witness also said the defendant previously shot at an individual that was in the group with her and the decedent before the night of the incident.

“Those bullets were not for Te,” the witness said.

However, another witness told the jury that police harassed him after the shooting. The witness said six officers pushed him against a wall and put their hands around his neck. The witness said he did not see the shooting but heard gunshots. 

“They weren’t trying to help. They were worried about the crowd instead of the person dead on the street,” the witness told the jury.

According to court documents, Adams walked toward a group of people on Benning Road, pulled out a gun and started shooting.

The defendant allegedly robbed the sister of an individual in the group that was with the decedent. According to the prosecution, the individual was from the Langston neighborhood which rivals with the 21st and I Street, NE neighborhood. Adams, who is from the 21st and I Street neighborhood, allegedly said the individual was “next.”

Multiple eyewitnesses identified Adams as the shooter. However, when police inquired further, one witness said that it was too dark to identify who the shooter was, the documents said.

The trial continued on Nov. 1.

Shams Sohani contributed to this article.