The Metropolitan Police Department arrested 29-year-old Deon Elonte Bookhardt on July 6 following a shootout on the 1200 block of Half Street, SE, and charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon and destruction of property. MPD is asking for the community’s help in identifying the second shooter.
On July 5, 24-year-old Santos Duarte-Euceda was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a pistol without a license as a prior felon, and possession of an unregistered firearm for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting on the 3500 block of 14th Street, NW.
The Metropolitan Police Department is asking the community’s help in identifying a vehicle used in a shooting that targeted an MPD officer and injured another victim on June 30 at the intersection of 27th and R Streets, SE.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Anthony Willis, which occurred on July 5 on the 700 block of Upsal Street, SE.
Tykel Wilson, 22, who received a suspended sentence in 2021, was re-sentenced by DC Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz on July 3 in connection to a carjacking incident.
Wilson’s probation was revoked for his original sentence involving an attempted carjacking that occurred on the 500 block of 4th Street, SE on March 29, 2021.
Wilson was sentenced to serve 36 months of his sentence with three years of supervised release.
In 2021, Wilson pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. He was initially sentenced to 36 months for his involvement in the crime with the provision that he would have 12 months suspended.
Wilson was sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), meaning that if sentencing, probation, and all special conditions were met then Wilson’s conviction record would be sealed.
While on probation, in July 2023, Wilson was arrested for an armed carjacking that occurred on April 29, 2023 on the 900 block of Allison Street, NW.
On June 28, Wilson pleaded guilty to armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the incident that occurred in April.
Sentencing for the 2023 incident is slated for Sept. 27, with the sentence being served consecutively to the sentence Judge Leibovitz imposed on July 3.
A victim of a mass shooting who was wounded in the face, required jaw reconstruction surgery and a feeding tube to survive, testified in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on July 3.
Mark Price, 29, and Antonio Murchison, 31, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, and seven counts of criminal gang affiliation.
The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a mass shooting on July 16, 2018, on the 5300 block of 53rd Street, NE in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. The incident left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four other individuals with gunshot wounds.
The third co-defendant, Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, is charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the homicide.
At the hearing, the prosecution called a victim who recalled the events and the aftermath of being shot once in the face and twice in the leg.
The victim stated that he was a longstanding resident of Clay Terrace and was on the front porch of Wilson’s home, who was friends with his daughter, when the shooting occurred. He stated Wilson, Wilson’s oldest sister, and men were also there.
“Of course when I saw Makiyah, I’m not trying to stand right there, I’m trying to go,” said the victim in reference to the gravity of Wilson’s state in the midst of the shooting.
He recalled hearing gunshots and shortly after falling face down to the ground.
“I thought I was dead,” stated the victim when referring to a “white sheet” being placed over him while he was on the ground. He remembered a girl holding his hand and saying he was alive but not able to talk and barely able to breathe with blood coming out with every breath.
When describing difficulty breathing and the pain he experienced, he stated, “It was miserable.”
“I didn’t even know where I was shot at. I thought I was shot in the head,” said the victim.
Following the shooting, the victim testified he remembered waking up at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with tubes down his nose and throat, stating that he arrived by helicopter after being admitted to another hospital, but admitted he did not remember the events.
As a result of his injuries, his jaw was reconstructed, his whole bottom row of teeth were gone, and he had to receive dental implants in replacement.
He also stated that due to the severity of his injuries, the recovery process took months including physical therapy and relearning how to talk.
When questioned by the prosecution about scarring from the gunshots, the victim stated that he had scars on his lower face and neck area, admitting, “I usually let [my beard] grow out more because I don’t like to see the scars.”
Prosecutors showed photographs of the victim’s raw and untreated injuries pre-surgery, including the victim’s bloody face and wounds to his leg.
After the victim testified, the prosecution called a maxillofacial surgeon who did head and neck reconstruction on the victim.
The surgeon stated the victim sustained a gunshot wound that went through his cheek and lower jaw, which resulted in the shattering of his lower jaw bone, splitting of his lip, displacement of his teeth, and freezing his tongue to the bottom of his mouth.
According to the surgeon, based on her experience treating gunshot-wounded victims, it was likely a larger caliber bullet fired at a higher velocity due to the scale of the victim’s injuries.
The surgeon stated she performed multiple complex procedures, including a tracheostomy to put a breathing tube in his neck.
During one surgery, she borrowed a portion of the victim’s leg bone to create a part of his new jaw, to aid in rebuilding the floor of his mouth.
According to the surgeon, if the victim’s jaw was not reconstructed and he did not undergo additional surgical repairs, his speech and ability to swallow would be severely affected and he would be dependent on a feeding tube.
The prosecution called additional witnesses who testified about a Dec. 22, 2017 shooting incident that occurred near the intersection of 53rd and E Street, SE, during which Price allegedly sustained a gunshot wound to the foot.
Photographs taken of Price at a hospital lying in a bed on that day with a bloody face were presented to the jury.
A former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified he arrived at the residence where Price was on a couch on Dec. 22, 2017. According to the officer, Price sustained bloody injuries to his foot and face. However, the officer testified that Price told him he fell.
The prosecution played the officer’s body-worn camera footage which showed an individual, identified as Price, lying on a couch inside a home with injuries to his foot and face.
Additionally, the prosecution brought a person to the stand who testified about a shooting on Dec. 22.
He described a “loud crash” while he was at his home, and observed an individual with an electric scooter on the ground in front of a fence. According to the witness, the individual was attempting to pick the scooter up from the ground.
Subsequently, the bystander said he saw a vehicle approach the individual with the scooter and an individual inside the car “immediately” start firing at the individual with the scooter.
According to the witness, there were three individuals who fired shots, and as several shots were fired, the intended victim ran away from the scene.
The trial is scheduled to resume on July 8.
A shooting defendant waived his right to test DNA evidence recovered from a crime scene in a July 3 hearing, before DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur.
Adrian Lee, 49, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on April 18, 2023, on the 700 block of Gresham Place, NW. One individual sustained injuries during the incident.
During the hearing, Lee waived his right to test evidence, including clothing and a cellphone, for DNA.
Judge Arthur reminded Lee that, if he waives his right, he will not be able to request to test the evidence at a later date.
According to court documents, the victim was sideswiped while driving a Tesla Model Y by a woman connected to Lee. She claimed Lee provided an insurance card but it was expired. The victim drove after Lee, who fled the scene on foot. Lee then allegedly shot the victim in the abdomen.
Prosecutors plan to introduce statements about the defendant’s texts and phone ownership. Albert Amissah, Lee’s defense attorney, alerted the court he had not received evidence in the case from the prosecution. They are slated to share it with Amissah before trial.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene July 11.
The Metropolitan Police Department is searching for the suspect in an aggravated assault on June 30 on the 1500 block of 9th Street, NW, that left one person injured by a lit firework.
A homicide defendant accepted a plea deal extended by prosecutors before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on July 3.
John Dickens, 47, was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed for his involvement in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Kelvin Hamlett who was left in his burning car, on the 1500 block of Gales Street, NE, on Nov. 12.
At the hearing, Kevin Irving, Dickens’ defense attorney, alerted Judge Epstein he was accepting a deal, which required him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, in exchange for not being indicted on greater charges.
Through the deal, the parties agreed to a sentencing range of 126-to-228 months.
Additionally, Irving motioned for Dickens’ previous defense attorney, Kevann Gardner, to be present at the sentencing, stating Dickens wants both attorneys to represent him.
Judge Epstein granted the request, and re-instated Gardner as co-counsel.
Parties are slated to meet Oct. 18 for sentencing.
On July 5, 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers allegedly was shot and wounded by US Marshalls while trying to carjack them on the 2100 block of 11th Street, NW. Flowers has been charged with armed carjacking, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
The prosecution continued a murder case by calling a series of expert witnesses who testified before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on July 3.
Vernon Parrish, 40, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in shooting Ronald Bailey, 52, which occurred on Sept 26, 2021 on the 5200 block of E Street, SE.
During the hearing, an analyst from the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) identified photos taken during the autopsy of two gunshot wounds injuries as presented by the prosecution. The witness also acknowledged the shots weren’t fired from close range.
Ultimately, the examiner ruled that the cause of death for Bailey was multiple gunshot wounds and the nature of death was homicide.
A representative from ShotSpotter, a software technology that that enables police to identify gunfire, testified the system detected six shots being fired at the time of the incident.
On cross examination defense attorney Nikke Lotze about why ShotSpotter did not originally detect the shot. According to Lotze, the MPD had to review ShotSpotter data to confirm the incident occurred.
Lotze also claimed that ShotSpotter could only identify the location of the original shot and not ones that allegedly followed. The witness verified this and said three sensors did not pick up the following shots and therefore they could not calculate a location.
On redirect, the witness told the prosecutor that many factors affect ShotSpotter sensors’ ability to pick up gunfire including buildings, temperature, and the manner in which the weapon is fired.
Trial will resume July 8.
The Metropolitan Police Department is searching for suspects in a non-fatal shooting and assault on June 28 on the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road, SE, that injured two women.
The Metropolitan Police Department asking the community’s help in identifying the suspect in a non-fatal shooting on June 29 on the 1500 block of 19th Street, SE.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the fatal shooting of 46-year-old Donald Hawkins on July 4 on the 1500 block of Anacostia Drive, SE.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Anthony Willis on July 5 on the 700 block of Upsal Street, SE.
