Judge Finds Probable Cause and Holds Co-Defendants

By D.C. Witness Staff - September 16, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Presentments | Shooting | Suspects |

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that a co-defendant case has enough evidence to go to trial. The judge also held the defendants at DC Jail.

Azion Johnson, 21, and Weslee Wilkinson, 18, are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. They are accused of  participating in a shootout on May 29 during a gathering on the 5100 block of Fitch Place, SE that left three people injured.

During the Sept. 16 preliminary hearing, the prosecution showed surveillance video of two suspects shooting out of a door in an apartment buildings stairwell. A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective identifying the suspects as Johnson and Wilkinson. 

The prosecution also entered messages from Johnson’s iCloud account into evidence. The messages showed Johnson saying, “why would you tell on me, I was the one who shot back for you.” 

According to court documents, a witness who saw the crime gave MPD detectives the iCloud account and said it belonged to Johnson.

The detective also said officers found a .9mm pistol in Wilkinson’s closet and a .40 caliber pistol in Prince George County at Johnson’s mother’s home, where Johnson was arrested. Several .40 caliber and .9mm casings were found outside of the door that the suspects were seen firing from.

During cross examination, the detective told Wilkinson’s attorney, Julie Swaney, that the first victim was not sure about where the bullet that hit him came from or who the shooter was. Swaney argued that the bullet could have been from the other suspects involved in the shooting, who the police haven’t identified.

The detective also said the victim was located between the defendants and the unidentified suspects across the parking lot, who were engaged in the shootout. 

Johnson’s defense attorney, Sellano Simmons, asked the detective if there was any surveillance footage of Johnson pulling the trigger. The detective said he could only see the suspect put his hand out the door as if he was firing. The detectives did not recover any footage that showed the firing of the pistol. 

Judge Rainey Brandt said the officer’s identification of Johnson and Wilkinson, coupled with the surveillance video and messages from Johnson’s iCloud, was enough to establish probable cause. 

Swaney and Simmons asked for their clients to be put on pretrial release. 

Swaney said her client has no criminal history except for one case that was recently dismissed. She also said her client is currently attending high school and would be unable to continue his education if incarcerated. 

Simmons also said his client has no prior criminal history, and asked for him to be released into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP.)

Judge Brandt denied the release requests. The judge said she recognizes that the two have no prior criminal history, but the seriousness of the crime and the event occurring at a cookout with approximately 100 people there, makes it even more troubling. 

Johnson and Wilkinson’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.