Judge Re-Orders Mental Observation for Suspect in Police Shootout

By Audrey Staudacher [former] , Ayda Atici [former] - March 3, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Feb. 29, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ordered a new mental competency exam for a defendant in a police involved non-fatal shooting case.

Stephen Rattigan, 48, also known as James Julius, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed,  cruelty to animals, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of assault on a police officer while armed, for his alleged involvement in the shooting of three Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers on February 14, on the 5000 block of Hanna Place, SE. A fourth officer sustained injuries that were not gunshot related.

According to MPD documents, officers responded to the location to serve an arrest warrant on Rattigan who was wanted for cruelty to animals. While officers were outside the residence, the suspect allegedly fired multiple gunshots through the door, striking three officers. 

Rattigan, says the police report, barricaded himself inside his residence and continued shooting sporadically throughout the standoff. After Rattigan surrendered, Humane Society officers recovered some 31 dogs from his residence. 

In Judge Raffinan’s courtroom, Rattigan’s defense attorney, Stephen Logerfo, requested a new mental competency exam for Rattigan. He claimed that Rattigan had refused to attend his previous session because he was in a state of confusion, but now understood the importance of the testing to his case.

Rattigan informed the court that he had been placed on suicide watch for the past week because he missed his dogs and had “not seen them in two weeks.” He also informed the court that his legal first name was Michael, not Stephen. 

Judge Raffinan advised Rattigan to refrain from making statements on his own and instead allow his defense attorney to speak on his behalf. She approved the request for another competency exam.

Parties are slated to return to discuss the results of the exam on March 8.