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By
Sophia Cooper
- May 22, 2025
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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An expert linked DNA evidence to three among six co-defendants in a mass shooting homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on May 19.
Erwin Dubose, 31, Kamar Queen, 28, Damonta Thompson, 28, and William Johnson-Lee, 22, are charged with conspiracy, premeditated first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, among other charges, for their alleged involvement in the mass shooting that killed 31-year-old Donnetta Dyson, 24-year-old Keenan Braxton, and 37-year-old Johnny Joyner. The incident occurred on the 600 block of Longfellow Street, NW on Sept. 4, 2021, and injured three additional individuals.
Mussay Rezene, 32, and Toyia Johnson, 53, are charged with accessory after the fact while armed and tampering with physical evidence for their alleged involvement in assisting the other defendants discard evidence and avoid arrests.
The prosecution called five forensic biologists from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) who performed laboratory work on DNA evidence linked to the case. Prosecutors informed the jury that parties agreed ATF received 24 cartridge casings collected from Longfellow Street and swabs of items found in a gray Nissan Maxima from the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS). DFS also sent known DNA samples of Dubose, Queen, Thompson, Johnson-Lee, and Rezene.
Prosecutors allege the gray Nissan Maxima connects Rezene to destroying the getaway car used in the shooting.
The court qualified one of the forensic biologists as an expert witness in the field of forensic DNA analysis. The expert concluded Johnson-Lee was a possible contributor to DNA on one set of cartridge casings. He also found that Rezene was a possible contributor to DNA on items retrieved from the Nissan including four plastic bottles, a plastic cup, and the charging cord. In addition, he said Dubose was a possible contributor to DNA on a different plastic bottle.
The trial is scheduled to resume on May 20.