Document: Fatal Shooting in Benning Ridge

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting on the 1200 Block of 44^th Place, SE.

According to a press release, 19-year-old Taejuan King was located April 9 suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The department is offering up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in Washington, DC. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE — 50411.

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Judge Denies Inmate’s Motion for Release during COVID-19 Pandemic

On April 10, DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz denied an inmate’s motion for release, which was filed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Vincente Tillman, pleaded guilty on March 10 to unlawful possession of a firearm and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

According to the motion, Tillman is requesting release because he suffers from asthma, which puts him at a high risk to contract the virus that attacks the respiratory system.

A ruling on Tillman’s motion for release was continued from April 8 so the defense could gather Tillman’s medical records for additional support for his motion.

According to court documents, on June 18, 2019, Tillman drove a 2008 white Mercedes without the owner’s consent. He was also arrested in December of 2019 after officers received information that several individuals were in possession of several firearms inside the hallway of an apartment building located on the 200 block of V Street, NW.

When officers arrived at the location, they noticed a group of individuals in the hallway. The individuals ran after seeing the police, documents state.

When officers followed, one noticed several individuals trying to access an apartment that was located on the second floor of the building. After further investigation, officers discovered that five individuals entered the apartment unbeknownst to the unit’s leaseholder.

Four of the five individuals were located in a room where officers located several firearms.

Police recovered an AR-semi-automatic pistol, two black .40 caliber Glock 23 pistols, and one black and silver Ruger pistol with a slide laster. All four guns had ammunition in the chamber and magazine, according to court documents.

The information that the officers received identified two people in possession of firearms. The identifications matched Tillman and another suspect in the room at the time of arrest.

DC Jail Coronavirus Cases Increase

The DC Department of Corrections (DC DOC) reported that the number of Coronavirus cases increased to 41.

According to a press release from the department, four resident in the facility tested positive for the virus. The residents include one female, who is in her early 30s, and three men who are in their late forties and mid-fifties.

At the time the inmates tested positive, they were in quarantine at the Correctional Treatment Facility. The inmates were apparently in close proximity to another inmate that tested positive, the release said. The inmates are now in isolation and being monitored by medical staff.

The District’s site on the coronavirus shows that, as of April 9, there are 230 inmates in quarantine at the DC DOC. The number did not change from the amount of inmates quarantined on April 8.

The release said that eight inmates have recovered from the virus.

Eleven DC DOC personnel have tested positive for the virus as of April 9, according to the District’s site. Fourteen staff members have been cleared to return to work.

DC Police Modify Access to Headquarters

As of April 9, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has modified operations at its headquarters.

According to a press release, access to the MPD Headquarters building will be restricted to employees and members of the public with confirmed appointments. Restricted access went into effect immediately.

Members of the public should not show up, in-person, to MPD Headquarters to schedule an appointment. Instead, residents should refer to the options listed in the table.

What do I need?	Who do I call to make an appointment?
Obtain an Incident/ Offense/Traffic Report	Contact MPD’s Records Branch: Email: records.adminbox@dc.gov For appointments call: (202) 671-6705.
Obtain a Criminal History Report	Contact MPD’s Records Branch: Email: records.adminbox@dc.gov For appointments call: (202) 671-6705
Register a Firearm	Contact MPD’s Firearm Registration Branch: Email: gru.adminbox@dc.gov For appointments call: (202) 671-6705
Fingerprint Services	Contact MPD’s Civilian Fingerprint Section: Email: gru.adminbox@dc.gov For appointments call: (202) 671-6705

MPD requests that members of the public not schedule appointments or arrive to the facility should they be exhibiting flu-like or COVID-19 symptoms. People who are awaiting test results by medical staff for COVID-19 should also refrain from scheduling appointments or going to the facility.

All individuals who enter MPD Headquarters must submit to and pass a general health screening and temperature check.

For the latest information on DC’s response to COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

DC Superior Court Motions for Release

In the wake of COVID-19, several inmates have filed motions for release.

According to Leah Gurowitz, director of media and public relations at DC Superior Court and DC Court of Appeals, judges are handling the requests as they come in. She said some motions for release can be decided the day of while others need to schedule hearings.

On April 9, 12 cases were heard by judges at DC Superior Court. Some cases were heard via telecommunications while others were held in person.

Four inmates’ request for release was denied.

Devin Hill is charged with first-degree murder while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in the death of 28 year-old Michael Cunningham on Nov. 29.

Hill’s attorney Roderick Thompson, filed the motion for his release because Hill has a medical conditions that could increase his chances to contract COVID-19.

DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, who presided over the hearing via phone, continued Hill’s hearing until April 17.

Lionel Garrison was the only defendant to have his charges dropped on April 9.

Seven defendants had their hearings continued until April 10. Three of these inmates were charged with felonies.

Javon Gunter 18, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 15-year-old Thomas Johnson on Oct. 9, 2019, on the 1300 Block of Half Street, SW.

After initially being released to a halfway house on Jan. 4, the decision to release Gunter was reversed on Feb. 14.

Travis Russell, 35, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Michael Hooker, 44, on the 2700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE on May 26, 2019.

Travis’ defense attorney Mani Golzari made attempts to find Travis suitable housing pending the acceptance of the motion to release. However, since he could not find housing the hearing was continued until April 10.

No bench warrants were issued during proceedings.

As of April 9, DC Superior Court is operating through four courtrooms for adult arraignments and presentments, family court emergencies, neglect and juvenile hearings, criminal and domestic violence emergencies and civil, probate and tax emergencies, according to the DC Courts site. Most of the hearings are being conducted remotely.

D.C. Witness Shifts Gears

Dear readers,

We are in strange times that demand exceptional measures.

To that end, until the DC criminal justice system picks up normal activity again, or something approaching normality, D.C. Witness is going to change its approach to fulfilling its mission of bringing transparency to the justice system.

For as long as this lasts, D.C. Witness will also provide daily and weekly updates of what is happening across the entire DC criminal justice system.

We will do this by reporting on the number of individuals in DC Jail who have contracted the virus, the number of arrests, daily proceedings that are happening in Superior Court, the state of DC jail, new criminal justice policies and COVID19-related news.

We will also continue to track and report on homicides in the city.

Please let us know if there are other issues you, the reader, feel we should cover and we will endeavor to do so.

Please share your ideas with us at info@dcwitness.org.

Yours,

Amos Gelb – publisher

LaTrina Antoine – editor-in-chief.

Federal Judge Appointees to Inspect DC Jail Facilities

A federal court judge appointed two individuals April 9 to inspect the DC Department of Corrections (DC DOC) jail facilities.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly appointed Grace M. Lopes and Mark Jordan, as independent advisors to inspect the facilities. According to DC Courts, Lopes is a court-appointed arbiter in the juvenile justice system. D.C. Witness could not immediately verify information on Jordan.

According to a consent order that was signed by Judge Kollar-Kotelly, Lopes and Jordan will enter the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) and the Central Detention Facility (CDF), unannounced, with equipment, including cell phones, cameras and writing tools, to assess the facilities’ state during the pandemic. The two inspectors will be allowed to speak with both inmates and staff members.

During the inspection the appointees are tasked with answering several medical and health and hygiene questions, including whether residents are tested for COVID-19; receive adequate and timely medical attention when displaying COVID-19 symptoms and isolated. The inspectors will also assess if new inmates are quarantined for two-weeks.

As of April 8, the DC government is reporting that there are 37 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19. Those inmates have been isolated.

Data also shows that 230 inmates are being quarantined as a result of COVID-19.

The appointments are in response to a class-action lawsuit. The defendants in the lawsuit are Quincy Booth, director of the DC DOC, and Lennard Johnson, warden at DC DOC. The plaintiffs are Edward Banks, Keon Jackson, D’Angelo Phillips and Eric Smith. All four men are being held in custody at the DC DOC.

According to the plaintiffs, the DC DOC has violated their, and other inmates’, constitutional rights. On March 30 the plaintiffs in the case filed a temporary restraining order and a motion for preliminary injunction, saying COVID-19 poses a threat to the inmates being held in the CDF and CTF.

“With over 1600 vulnerable residents in its care and months to prepare for this coming catastrophe, the Department of Corrections has proven that it will not, and cannot, ensure the reasonable health and safety of its residents,” the motion said.

According to the DC DOC website, several procedures have been put into place to ensure inmate and staff health and safety during the pandemic, including prioritized medical visits, a two week quarantine for new inmates, weekly bars of soap for inmates and hand sanitizer for staff. The full plan can be seen on the department’s website.

“My point is not to credit one side’s claims or the other’s, but I need to have answers, facts, and someone who actually goes in and looks,” Judge Kollar-Kotelly said during a motion hearing on April 7.

DC’s Criminal Justice System’s Response to COVID-19

The DC Department of Correction’s (DC DOC) response to the coronavirus has sparked numerous questions about what the department is doing to keep workers and inmates healthy.

As of April 8, COVID-19 cases continued to grow in Washington, DC, reaching 1440 confirmed positive cases, according to a website on the virus by the government of the District of Columbia.

On April 7, the Washington Post reported that a DC Federal judge ordered an inspection of DC Jail facilities by an independent evaluator. The order came after the ACLU and the Public Defender’s Service filed a class action lawsuit March 30 against the department for the facility’s failure to protect incarcerated individuals from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the lawsuit, the DC DOC fragrantly disregarded “basic public health measures to limit the spread and severity of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the D.C. Jail.” The lawsuit alleges the DC DOC is:

delaying medical attention for inmates showing symptoms;
failing to screen new detainees, staff, lawyers and others entering the jail;
failing to provide soap pr hand sanitizer for inmates to clean their hands;
withholding adequate cleaning supplies, including gloves, masks, and other necessary equipment to facilitate thorough cleaning of the facilities;
failing to quarantine 65 individuals who had contact with a deputy U.S. Marshal who tested positive;
failing to equip staff and jail inmates with sufficient gloves and masks to use when preparing and serving food;
continuing to hold group therapy meetings that did not allow inmates to practice Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for social distancing

The federal judge said she is still deciding on whether to release prisoners after the number of positive cases increased from five to 28, the Post reported.

According to DC DOC’s site, the department has put in place a plan to limit the spread of the virus throughout its facilities.

The plan includes following a guidance released by the DC Department of Health and the CDC. DC DOC says it has taken steps, including providing inmates with up to two bars of soap each week and weekly clothing exchanges for inmates.

All new inmates to the facilities are screened for the virus and quarantined for 14 days. According to the site, if a resident tests positive they are given a mask and sent to a medical professional for evaluation.

Inmates, especially those with medical conditions, are closely monitored and receive prioritized medical visits, according to the site.

DC DOC also states that staff members have access to hand sanitizers because they do not have the same “immediate” access to soap and water like the inmates.

Staff who are working in the isolation and quarantine units, transportation unit, along with staff who perform medical or escort details and medical staff responding to positive COVID-19 screens are supplied with personal protective equipment that include N-95 respirators, according to the DC DOC site.

A medical stay in place was implemented on April 4 at the facilities.

Under the stay in place, inmates are largely restricted to their cells. There is still a recreation schedule, but inmates are limited to being out in groups of five to allow for social distancing.

Inmates are granted 30 minutes per day out of their cell to shower, use the phone and get their cells wiped down, according to the site. All visits with attorneys were stopped unless the inmate is in trial.

The full list of DC DOC’s response to the pandemic can be found here.

DC Superior Court

As of April 8, DC Superior Court is operating through four courtrooms for adult arraignments and presentments, family court emergencies, neglect and juvenile hearings, criminal and domestic violence emergencies and civil, probate and tax emergencies, according to the DC Courts site. Most of the hearings are being conducted remotely.

In the wake of COVID-19, several inmates have filed motions for release.

On April 8, 26 cases were heard by judges at DC Superior Court. Some cases were heard via telecommunications while others were held in person.

Six inmates were released.

Michael Taylor, who was booked as a fugitive from justice, was not held specifically because of COVID-19 per the DC Courts docket. All of those who were released were given conditions they are expected to follow. Those conditions were placed under seal.

Four inmates, who were charged with felony crimes, were denied release. According to DC Courts, one inmate is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and another inmate is charged with carrying a pistol outside of a home or business. The other two inmates are being held on drug-related charges.

A ruling on Vincente Tillman’s motion for release was delayed until April 10 when DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz said he would make a determination. On March 10, Tillman pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He is currently awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled to occur on May 24.

Charges were dropped for seven defendants who were classified as fugitives from justice.

Four defendants did not show up nor did they call in to their hearings. Bench warrants were issued for their arrests.

In a press release, the U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of Columbia opposed the release of violent offenders. “This pandemic should not be used as a basis to release violent criminals onto the streets of Washington,” U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea said in the April 4 release. “Now more than ever, as law enforcement authorities are being stretched thin due to the impact of COVID-19, the rule of law must be maintained.”

There are no oral arguments through May 31 for the DC Court of Appeals (CoA). However the CoA will handle emergency matters, according to the DC Courts site.

Follow D.C. Witness for updates to the criminal justice system’s reponse to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Document: Homicide in Fort Davis Park

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on April 7.

Officers responded to the 3900 block of Alabama Avenue, SE, after hearing sounds of gunshots, according to a press release. Shortly after, members of the Prince Georges County Police Department were dispatched to the 3900 block of Suitland Road, Suitland, MD, for the report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they located 21 year-old Brea Moon inside of a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound.

PG Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Further investigation revealed the shooting occurred in the 3900 block of Alabama Avenue, Southeast.

The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case or any other homicide case in Washington, DC. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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Document: Fatal Shooting on Alabama Avenue

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred on April 7 on the 3900 block of Alabama Avenue, SE.

According to a press release, officers found 21-year-old Brea Moon suffering from a gunshot wound.

The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case or any other homicide case in DC. Anyone with information should call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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No Change in Homicide Count, Data Shows

There has been no change in the number of homicides in Washington, DC from February to March, according to D.C. Witness data.

The data show that there were 11 homicides for both February and March. All of Marches homicides were gun-related. There was one trauma-related death and 10 shootings in February.

According to D.C. Witness data, the March homicides increased in three wards. The homicide count in Ward 8, which had the most homicides for the month, increased by three homicides. Homicides also increased by one in Ward 6 and Ward 1.

The average age of the victims, which included two women, were around 31 years old.

The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested three suspects in connection to three homicide cases.

On March 29, police arrested Gary Massey, charging him with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 29-year-old Gregory Mayo on the 700 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Massey, 24, is pending a grand jury. He is scheduled for a felony status conference on June 1.

According to court documents, the victim was shot twice in the back while sitting in a Ford Expedition at a traffic light. A witness said Massey’s sister was allegedly in an abusive relationship with Mayo.

Another suspect, 19-year-old Khamri Perkins, was arrested for allegedly shooting 18-year-old Naseem Simpson on March 15 on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW. Perkins is pending a grand jury. He is scheduled for a felony status conference on May 29.

The third suspect is still pending a first appearance in DC Superior Court.

Document: Fatal Shooting in Shipley Terrace

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting on the 3400 block of 22nd Street, SE.

According to a press release, 28-year-old David Deandre Young was located April 3 suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A juvenile victim was also located at another hospital, receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

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How the DC Jail and MPD are Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

As concerns over the COVID-19 virus continues to build, the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus despite it already having found its way into Washington, DC’s correctional facilities.

As of April 2, eight inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 10 inmates are awaiting their results, according to a representative from the DOC.

The representative said the DOC is currently isolating those who have tested positive away from other inmates in a section of the Correctional Treatment Facility part of the jail.

The facilities are also being cleaned more often.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is taking its own measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

According to a MPD press release, officers will request to speak to all complainants outside when possible and adhere to the public health recommendations to maintain a safe distance away.

The release also said that MPD has expanded criteria that district stations will use to determine which arrestees will be released pending a future court date instead of being held for a presentment hearing.

Editor’s Note: D.C. Witness will provide updates to COVID-19 cases in DC’s correctional facilities and court and DOC procedures during the pandemic.

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Document: Arrest Made in an Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun) Offense: 3500 Block of Clay Place, Northeast

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested and charged 35-year-old Travis Littlejohn with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on July 5, 2019, on the 3500 block of Clay Place, NE.

According to MPD documents, the suspect was involved in a dispute with four individuals at the location. During the dispute, the suspect discharged a firearm striking the four victims, entered a vehicle, and fled the scene. All four victims were treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

Document: Police Investigate the Death of a 2 Year-Old

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the death of a child that occurred on April 1.

Officers responded to the 900 block of Division Avenue, NE, after getting a call about an unconscious person according to a press release. On the scene officers found 2-year-old Gabriel Eason unconscious. After all life-saving efforts failed, the decedent remained on the scene until transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

An autopsy was performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. As a result, the cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

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