Neighbor Identifies Defendant as Car Accident Shooter

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A neighbor, who witnessed a shooting, identified the defendant as the alleged perpetrator in a trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on Sept. 17.

Adrian Lee, 49, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict.

The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting incident on April 18, 2023, on the 700 block of Gresham Place, NW, that left one person injured.

During the hearing, Lee’s neighbor testified that he called 911 after seeing a man shoot another man outside his house while they were arguing. The witness said he recognized the alleged shooter as his neighbor, and identified Lee in court.

The witness said Lee was standing about ten feet away on the sidewalk from a man and a woman and they were in an argument. He said the man and woman were not being “visibly aggressive” and did not appear to brandish a weapon.

On cross examination, the witness said he did not know what the argument was about and did not know whether the man that was shot and the woman lived in the area. He testified that he had never seen Lee act violently in the past, deeming him “friendly.”

An officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified that he responded to the scene where the victim was suffering from a gunshot wound and that he did not appear to have any weapons.

“He appeared to be in a lot of pain,” the officer said.

The officer testified that the victim’s wife, who was on the scene, later sent the police a video of the victim exchanging insurance information with a man after they got into a car accident.

Prosecutors said in their opening statement on Sept. 16 that Lee shot the victim after they got into an argument following a the accident when Lee fled the scene. Destiny Fullwood-Singh, Lee’s attorney, insisted he acted in self-defense thinking Lee was armed.

An investigative analyst from the US Attorney’s Office testified that Lee’s cell phone data showed the user reserved a room at a Red Roof Inn from April 18 to April 19. She said she used geolocation data and Cashapp transactions to show the phone had traveled from Maryland to Florida from April 19 to April 20 and the phone moved around Florida from April 20 to May 30. Prosecutors allege that Lee fled the District after the incident.

Parties are slated to reconvene Sept. 18.