Judge Sentences Shooting Defendant with a Firearm’s Criminal History

By Alex Garcia Pecina - November 8, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced a shooting defendant with previous cases involving firearms to 24 months in jail and three years of probation on Nov. 6.

On Sept. 6, Abdoulie Jawneh, 23, accepted a plea deal that required him to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a shooting that took place on May 1 on the 2700 block of Wade Road, SE. No injuries were reported. 

According to court documents, Jawneh’s older brother explained that he and his girlfriend were driving around when they saw Jawneh. The couple pulled over to talk with Jawneh and an altercation began when the older brother informed Abdoulie that their mother was concerned about his possible dangerous activities in the neighborhood.

Abdoulie Jawneh reportedly became irritated and began a physical altercation with his older brother. After the older brother and his girlfriend returned to the truck, Abdoulie Jawneh allegedly approached with a pistol and fired multiple shots. The shots struck the vehicle, according to court documents. 

During the hearing, the prosecution alerted the court that this was Jawneh’s fifth case involving firearms and the incident post a danger to the public. According to the prosecution, the defendant left the scene to grab a firearm before returning to shoot in public. They asked the court to sentence the defendant to 30 months in jail with a year of supervised release and requested a stayaway from the victim.

Richard Holliday, Jawneh’s defense attorney, revealed that the defendant had completed satisfactory probation in another case and he requested concurrent sentencing for the charges.

“I want to start off by saying sorry. I am truly sorry for the actions I made,” Jawneh told the court. Judge Di Toro pointed out that despite his contrition, during the incident, Jawneh left and came back with a firearm and he was already under supervision for another case while committing the offense.

Judge Di Toro sentenced Jawneh to 24 months in jail followed by three years of supervised release. While on supervised release, she plans to order an assessment for alcohol and weed, and order a mental health evaluation.

No further dates were set.