Eyewitness Says Murder Victim and Shooter Were ‘Hostile’ Hours Before A Shooting

By Marissa Stambaugh - September 12, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting |

One eyewitness told a jury in DC Superior Judge Marisa Demeo’s courtroom that a murder defendant and victim had a “hostile” interaction hours before the shooting, during a hearing on Sept. 11.

Darius Anderson, 23, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of carrying a pistol without a license for his alleged involvement in shooting of 30-year-old Israel Mattocks on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE, on June 15, 2022. 

Prosecutors called on another eyewitness, who testified she watched the murder happen. She confirmed that Mattocks was a regular at the store where he was shopping the day of the crime. She also claimed that although Mattocks and the shooter encountered each other earlier in the day, there was no indication that things would escalate to the extreme, including threats.

According to the eyewitness, she and Mattocks were exiting the store together when he was shot. The shooter was outside to the right of the front door, armed, waiting for Mattocks to walk outside. The eyewitness then ran, and could not identify the shooter because of a ski mask the person was wearing throughout the entire day.

Prosecutors also called on the lead detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who testified he responded to the crime scene and collected surveillance footage which clearly shows events that led up to the crime and more broadly the actual crime occurring, although the camera view is not directly pointed towards where the crime had occurred. 

The officer testified evidence from Anderson’s Lyft ride and surveillance footage that shows him leaving his apartment complex and arriving at the crime scene at the same time footage from the scene first reveals his presence.  

A scientist from the Department of Forensic Scientist (DFS) testified they responded to a firearm retrieval in July of 2022. According to the scientist, the firearm’s serial number had been scratched off in one of the two locations where it is visible on the gun. 

Trial will continue on Sept. 16.