DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro fully suspended a sentence for a defendant who shot at his child’s mother on April 7.
Darnell Morgan, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 to assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a non-fatal shooting on Oct. 13, 2025 at the 700 block of Brandywine Street, SE. No injuries were reported but Morgan shot at the mother of his children.
During the hearing, the prosecution requested 18 months of imprisonment, a sentence at the bottom third of the guidelines which was part of the plea deal. They argued since Morgan discharged a firearm in a densely populated area; in front of the victim and the victim’s mother, it shows the concerning and aggravating factors of the incident.
In addition, according to the prosecution, Morgan discarded the firearm near a playground. While they acknowledged he has no prior criminal history, the specific facts of assault with a firearm and the location he discarded the gun, warranted punishment rather than just probation.
Morgan’s attorney, Courtney Vaughan, requested 18 months of incarceration to be suspended. Vaughan argued that because Morgan has no criminal history, the incident was an isolated “misdeed” rather than a reflection of who he is.
“I am not trying to minimize the incident,” Vaughan said. “It is not accurate to say he discarded it [the firearm] near a playground.” She said the body camera footage showed that the gun was found underneath a tree, lying in a pile of foliage and trash.
Vaughan told Judge Di Toro she observed the body-worn camera footage of the incident and stated Morgan and the victim were both “fueled by alcohol” and claimed the video showed the victim started the verbal argument and Morgan escalated it.
“Nerves were frayed,” Vaughan continued. According to Vaughan, since the incident, Morgan has been successfully co-parenting his three daughters with the victim and is eligible to work at the end of April. She stated, Morgan has a support team composed of his mother, sister, and daughters who were all present in the courtroom.
Morgan himself apologized to his family, the victim, and three daughters for his actions.
“I am happy to hear you are co-parenting,” Judge Di Toro said. “That is what’s most important to me.”
As a result, Judge Di Toro, sentenced Morgan to 20 months of incarceration, all suspended except for the time already served. She placed Morgan on one year of supervised probation. Morgan must also register as a gun offender and is not legally allowed to possess a firearm.
No further dates were set.
