DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz found probable cause that a defendant was the perpetrator in a stabbing during a preliminary hearing on July 3.
Donald Shield, 47, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of Dominique Ratiff, 36, at the intersection of Dupont Circle and the 1900 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW, on Dec. 30, 2024. The hub is one of the city’s busiest corridors fanning out to many of DC’s most historic locations.
The prosecution called the case’s lead detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) homicide branch who testified about surveillance footage showing an individual identified as Shield allegedly leaving his bike and stabbing Ratiff in the neck from behind before fleeing the scene. It also showed the suspect fleeing back on his bike to his apartment looking at his right hand which the detective suggested could have been from wounds resulting from the stabbing.
In addition to the surveillance footage, five witnesses were interviewed about the incident, and asked to provide any useful description of the suspect. Several were provided, according to the detective. Most notably, some witnesses described the suspect as wearing some kind of orange glove or fabric on his right hand, while others claimed he had been wearing a dark-colored hat or hood.
The detective said though the defendant was never seen wearing these items of clothing in surveillance footage of the incident, several eyewitnesses confirmed he was wearing light-colored distressed jeans and a blue jacket.
Shield’s attorney, Bernadette Armand, focused the discrepancies in the eyewitness accounts relating to the suspect’s clothing. Though different descriptions of the suspect were provided, the detective claimed the eyewitnesses he spoke to in follow-up interviews were able to identify the suspect from still images taken from surveillance footage.
Judge Kravitz ruled that there was probable cause to continue with this case despite questions about the accuracy of the eyewitnesses. He stated that the surveillance video alone was sufficient to show Shield could be found guilty of the crime.
Parties concluded the hearing with discussion of the defendant’s current release on a GPS monitor. The prosecution indicated that they will argue for detention at the next hearing.
Parties are slated to reconvene Aug. 1.
