DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson heard testimony from a medical examiner at the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in a six-year-old homicide case on April 6.
Jamil Whitley, 38, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction greater than one year. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kevin Redd on the 4700 block of Jay Street, NE, on June 11, 2020. Redd sustained gunshot wounds to his chest, forearm, and shoulder.
A doctor and deputy medical examiner at OCME, the prosecutors called , said she performed Redd’s autopsy on the day of the incident. The medical examiner said an external examination revealed four “defects” resembling gunshot wounds on his left shoulder, right chest, and left forearm.
Referencing an autopsy report that was admitted as evidence, the medical examiner said the shot to Redd’s shoulder exited through his right chest and was fatal. She said the shot damaged his aorta and both lungs, causing him to lose nearly half of his blood volume.
The medical examiner said she recovered bullet fragments from Redd’s forearm wound and said the shot broke his bones. She said she recovered a bullet from soft tissue in Redd’s right chest.
After the prosecutor asked whether it was possible Redd’s wounds came from less than three bullets, the medical examiner said that would be speculation and said at least three shots were fired at Redd.
The medical examiner also said there is no way for her to determine Redd’s position when he was shot.
During questioning from James Brockway, Whitley’s attorney, the medical examiner said she could only determine the direction of the wound paths, not the direction from which Redd was shot.
A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, who the prosecutors called to continue her testimony from April 2, identified the scene based on body-worn camera footage. The officer pointed out an alley with broken glass, a gate with a gap large enough for a person to fit through, and spots of blood on the ground.
According to the officer, more than six police officers were present at the scene, including at different locations in the alley and outside the scene looking for shell casings.
A senior police officer in the Electronic Surveillance Unit (ESU) of MPD was additionally called to testify. Prosecutors asked him to review security footage he extracted from the Shell gas station on the 4300 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE. According to court documents, this is where Redd reportedly met Whitley for the first time on the night of the shooting.
The ESU officer said he played no investigative role in this case besides extracting video footage from the Shell. He pulled camera footage from three cameras and reviewed the footage.
All of the surveillance footage from the Shell was one day and 15 minutes ahead of real time. He did not verify the time to the second, because this is something he “never does.”
One camera produced color video, but the others were in black and white. None of the cameras captured audio.
The prosecutors also called a former DC Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) employee who collected evidence in the case. He said he received fingerprints, bullet fragments, a bullet, and a blood card used to collect Redd’s blood for forensic analysis.
The DFS employee said he was not present at the scene of the incident or the hospital.
Parties are set to reconvene on April 7.
