Case Acquitted: Jury Acquits Suspect of Charges in Non-Fatal Funeral Shooting

By Justine Stuber [former] - December 5, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects |

This case was acquitted on Dec. 1, 2023.

On Nov. 30, non-fatal shooting defendant Saphire Johnson was acquitted of all charges by a jury before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park.  

Johnson, 24, was found not guilty of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and five charges related to illegal possession of a firearm. The incident occurred at a church during a funeral on June 28, on the 4000 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. 

Defense attorneys Christen Romero Philips and Varsha Govindaraju claimed Johnson was acting in self-defense when she began shooting after the service. According to the defense, Johnson was attacked by three men and pulled out a gun after she perceived one of the men pulling out his own gun.

Johnson then fired multiple shots, one of them accidentally striking a bystander. Johnson was shot herself by another funeral attendee, who was attempting to intervene. No others were injured. 

Prosecution claimed that Johnson instigated the argument, which occurred after she heard her relative threatening to hit his 15-year-old daughter. They tried to prove Johnson’s guilt by showing surveillance footage of the incident, which was captured entirely by nearby cameras. They claim that the men attacking Johnson did not have a gun, however, there was little evidence to point either way. 

Many witnesses testified in the trial, including Johnson herself. She insisted she had been making “life or death decisions”, only shooting because the attackers had been threatening her and she believed they were carrying a gun. 

The man who shot Johnson also testified. He claimed that while he did not want to shoot her, he felt he had to de-escalate the situation. The victim of the shooting also testified and recounted the moments she was shot, saying “I felt a sting”. 

According to the defense, Johnson was “targeted, terrified, and trapped.” She had been punched in the back of the head by one of her attackers before jumping a fence in an attempt to get away. At this point, she ran behind a car. That, according to the defense, is when one of the attackers approached her, reaching across his chest as if he had a gun. Johnson then took out her gun and fired to protect herself.

Defense also claims that Johnson’s identity as a gay woman is essential to understanding the incident. They say her level of fear escalated given past homophobia related violence and gun violence she had witnessed. 

Defense requested that she be acquitted of all charges. The verdict came back the same day, with the jury declaring her not guilty on every count.