First responders testified they were preoccupied with helping the victims of a mass shooting before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on April 10. The defense, meanwhile, questioned whether evidence at the scene had been compromised in the chaos.
William Johnson-Lee, 22, Erwin Dubose, 30, Kamar Queen, 27, and Damonta Thompson, 28, are charged with conspiracy, two counts of premeditated first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and three counts of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, for their alleged involvement in the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 31-year-old Donnetta Dyson, 24-year-old Keenan Braxton, and 37-year-old Johnny Joyner.
Dubose, Queen, and Johnson-Lee each have nine additional counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Queen and Thompson each gave one additional count of first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, and Johnson-lee has two more counts of the same charge. Dubose, Queen, and Thompson also each have an additional charge of one or more counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Dubose and Queen are also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, as well. Dubose has additional charges of premeditated first-degree murder while armed and tampering with physical evidence. Finally, Queen and Johnson-Lee each have an additional charge of carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business.
The incident occurred on the 600 block of Longfellow Street, NW on Sept. 4, 2021, and left three others suffering from injuries.
Toyia Johnson, 52, and Mussay Rezene, 32, are charged with accessory after the fact while armed and tampering with physical evidence for their alleged involvement in assisting the other defendants in getting rid of the evidence and avoiding getting caught in connection with the case.
Prosecutors called on an officer, who testified he’d “never responded to a homicide scene,” prior to this incident.
According to the officer, he was assigned to 7th Street and Somerset Place, NW, when he heard “a barrage of gunfire ” that sounded like “a full-on explosion.”
“I was racing as fast as I could to go down there,” the officer told the jury, adding that the officer that first responded to the chaotic scene was in obvious distress. “I thought he was hurt,” the witness stated.
The witness described his driving as “reckless” getting to the scene, adding that he was “fighting tunnel vision hard, and flooring the gas pedal.” He arrived two minutes after he received the call.
Body-worn camera footage showed the officer hurriedly opening his tactical medical kit and rendering aid to Braxton, who was being held upright by two civilians.
The officer clarified that under usual circumstances, civilians would be completely cleared from the crime scene. However, the witness stated, “I might as well keep them here and let them help me.”
According to the officer, he did not see a firearm on the ground next to Braxton because “it wasn’t [his] focus.” He also told the jury that it was his first time using his tactical medical kit outside of Police Academy training.
After applying a chest seal to Braxton, the officer testified, he put a tourniquet on of another victim, who had been shot in both legs.
Then the officer stated he returned to Braxton and held his head upright, recalling that “at this point I was transitioning to compassionate care.” It was only seconds later that the officer told those nearby, “I don’t feel a pulse.”
The officer also testified he followed an ambulance that transported a surviving victim to a hospital for care.
Peter Fayne, Johnson-Lee’s defense attorney, told the jury that “part of the role of police is trying to protect the integrity of the evidence.” Fayne asked the witness how much time passed until the scene was free of any potential contamination, and he responded “it took us some time to get the scene under control.”
“There’s always a risk” when civilians are present at a crime scene, the officer stated.
Brian McDaniel, Queen’s defense attorney, stated that the witness “never assumed responsibility for discovering evidence,” at the scene because his immediate priority was the victims. McDaniel referred to a backpack that Braxton was wearing when he was injured but was never recovered by authorities.
The officer also testified that on Sept. 6, 2021, he responded to a call about an abandoned Nissan Maxima. The vehicle was found in the bushes of an alleyway on the 5200 block of 14th Street, NW away from the crime scene.
The witness stated that he issued a ticket and called a tow truck for the car, which prosecutors claim was Rezene’s.
The prosecution called another officer, who made her way to Longfellow Street after a dispatch call for sounds of gunshots. She testified that she was patrolling the zone because “it is a high crime area.”
Once she arrived on scene, body-worn camera footage showed her rushing to apply a chest seal to Joyner, who had more than five gunshot wounds to his chest, according to the officer.
Although he was unconscious and “drained of all color,” the witness continued to render life-saving care because “there’s always hope that person could still be alive.”
The witness stated that police officers “are not medical professionals,” but are expected to provide care to all victims in an incident.
After transferring Joyner’s care to the medical response team, the witness helped another victim find an ambulance. The victim is seen on body-worn camera shouting, “where the f*** the ambulance,” since the ambulances were occupied by victims with more severe injuries.
The officer testified she helped treat that gunshot wound on the victim’s leg before escorting him to an empty ambulance down the block.
Once the witness finished administering aid, she assisted other officers in locating shell casings at the scene. She stated she had found 30-to-50 casings.
The officer also testified she helped secure the scene with police tape in order to prevent civilians from disturbing the scene.
Fayne argued that the crime scene did not seem secure at the time of the witness’ arrival, stating that during the chaos, evidence may have been “kicked or knocked around,” by people walking through. He told the jury that the evidence was likely compromised before police taped off the area.
McDaniel agreed with Fayne, stating there was, “at least a half an hour where the scene was not taped off.”
McDaniel paced around the courtroom, demonstrating how civilians could have been moving shell casings or other evidence as they walked through the scene.
The witness stated that she had no actual knowledge of any civilians tampering with evidence, and there were more than 20 other officers on the scene helping secure it.
A patrol officer who responded to Longfellow Street the morning of Sept. 5 testified that he was ordered to take over the crime scene. According to the officer, when he arrived the scene was secure.
The officer stated that multiple bystanders were associated with the Kennedy Street crew, a group associated with multiple crimes, also known as KDY, that morning. Body-worn camera footage showed the officer escorting one individual to a bullet-damaged car so he could open the trunk to locate the shell remnants.
Following testimony, David Akulian, Johnson’s attorney, alerted Judge Kravitz that members of Braxton’s family allegedly “harassed” Johnson during the trial breaks. Judge Kravitz warned that everyone needs to “understand how important it is not to engage in this sort of conduct,” and if continued they will be excluded from the courtroom.
Parties are slated to reconvene April 21.
