DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel released a 20-year-old shooting defendant accused of domestic violence on July 7, imposing conditions of home confinement and a stay away order from the victims and incident address.
Aaron Smith, 20, is charged with endangerment with a firearm for his alleged involvement in a shooting on March 8 at 3100 block of 11th Street, NW. No injuries were reported though his ex-romantic partner may have been an alleged target.
According to court documents, officers responded to the sound of gunfire toward a second-story bedroom window that had sustained damage and later recovered one shell casing and a firearm in an alley.
A witness identified a person said to be the suspect, caught on surveillance footage as “Aaron Smith, 100 percent.” However, detectives originally believed the suspect could’ve been two other individuals.
Smith was arrested three months after the incident and has been held in the DC jail since June 13.
Smith’s attorney, Janai Reed, asked for his release, citing his lack of criminal history, and stated he could live with his mother and return to his job at the Nationals Park.
Prosecutors highlighted the domestic violence in the case, stating the defendant’s ex-girlfriend lived near the incident.
Reed disagreed debunked the domestic violence assertion and asked for Smith to be put under home confinement.
Judge Israel agreed to put Smith under GPS monitoring and home confinement. She also imposed a stay away order from the victim, the ex-romantic partner and the location of the incident. Judge Israel further ordered that Smith can’t possess a firearm and there can’t be one in his home. She also subjected Smith to an initial round of drug testing.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Aug. 19.
