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By
Adriana Marroquin
- December 13, 2024
Court
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Daily Stories
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Shooting
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Suspects
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DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein agreed on Dec. 11 the prosecution provided evidence showing the probability a defendant was the shooter in an incident that left a victim paralyzed.
Damon Bradford, 27, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, for his alleged involvement in a shooting that paralyzed a wheelchair user on Oct. 2 at the 1200 block of North Capitol Street, NW.
During the hearing, prosecutors called on a detective from the homicide branch at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who testified his department was assigned to the case due to the severity of the victim’s injuries.
According to the detective, the victim, who was a wheelchair user, sustained a gunshot wound to the neck, which destroyed his esophagus and voice box, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
The detective testified that surveillance footage of the intersection shows an individual, whom he identified as Bradford, and a companion crossing the street towards where the victim was waiting for a friend.
The detective stated that the victim, Bradford and his companion conversed for a few minutes before shots rang out. According to the detective, the companion left the area and was never identified, and Bradford escaped into his apartment building in the same block as the incident.
An officer nearby rendered aid to the victim, according to the detective, but was unable to follow after the suspect.
The detective testified that eyewitnesses told MPD that the suspect wore a mask, and surveillance footage depicted the suspect wearing all black clothing.
According to the detective, surveillance footage tracked the shooter’s path as he fled the scene of the crime into the floor of the apartment building in which Bradford lived, before he was seen leaving the location again moments prior to being stopped by MPD officers canvassing the area.
Body-worn camera footage depicted Bradford, who the detective claimed changed his clothing, being stopped by MPD officers for matching the description of the masked shooter. However, MPD released Bradford that day due to insufficient evidence.
The prosecution provided images of trash recovered from a dumpster in Bradford’s building, in which they stated they located black pants that matched that of the shooter’s with Bradford’s driver’s license inside, a gray beanie that matched the one worn by the shooter in surveillance footage, as well as .45 caliber bullets and a face mask.
According to the detective, the .45 caliber bullets recovered from the dumpster closely matched the shell casings recovered near the victim.
Two special police officers (SPOs) identified Bradford as a resident of the apartment building through surveillance footage. Although they were unable to identify him by name, according to the detective, the SPOs identified Bradford by his distinctive walk.
Joseph Yarbough, Bradford’s attorney, argued against probable cause for lack of positive identification. He insisted no witness was ever able to identify Bradford as the shooter, and the victim has not been able to identify anyone in a photo array or by name.
Yarbough argued the SPOs identification was unreliable because it was made with “insufficient basis.”
Judge Epstein argued there was sufficient evidence to find probable cause, stating that the shooter in the video has the same distinctive walk as Bradford, his driver’s license was found in the same trash bag as pants and a beanie that matched that of the shooters, and bullets that appeared to match the casings from the scene were recovered as well.
Judge Epstein also ordered Bradford remain detained, stating that “the nature of the offense is quite chilling.”
Parties are slated to reconvene Aug. 8, 2025.