Parties Give Closing Arguments in Road Rage Shooting Trial

By McKenna Bryant - January 23, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Jan. 22, parties gave closing arguments in a 2021 non-fatal shooting, road rage trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt.

Kenneth Davis, 45, is charged with six counts of possession of firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of assault with intent to kill while armed against a minor, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that left an individual suffering from a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. The incident occurred on May 19, 2021, at the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE.

In their closing arguments, prosecutors claimed that surveillance footage of the shooting, witness testimony, and the defendant’s actions after the incident, including leaving the country, proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis was the shooter.

Although the surveillance footage depicts the actual shooting and allegedly the defendant’s vehicle, it does not reveal the face of the shooter.

Prosecutors highlighted a witness who identified Davis in a photo array.

“It’s him, I remember that nose. It’s 100 percent him,” the witness said.

The prosecution requested the jury convict Davis of all charges.  

In response, Marnitta King, Davis’ defense attorney, argued that the prosecution did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis was the shooter. 

King said the person the witness identified as the shooter in the photo array was based on what other witnesses remembered.

The defense also raised doubts about lead detectives’ thoroughness in the investigation, suggesting that other anonymous tips about Maserati owners might have been overlooked due to potential racial bias. Davis is black.

Additionally, King contended that the mysterious Maserati shooter might have been oblivious to the children in the victim’s car due to tinted windows. One child sustained injuries from shattering glass during the crash and trying to escape the gunfire.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Davis was arrested Aug. 5, 2021, by law enforcement officers in Costa Rica. King argued that it was not uncommon for Davis to travel and rent transportation, due to his work in the music industry.

The prosecution’s rebuttal claimed that the witness’ identification was not derived from other witnesses, because she was the only one able to identify a facial feature of the shooter.

The prosecution also insisted that Davis’ travel abroad following the shooting, where authorities were unable to locate him, as well as storing his Maserati in his mother’s garage under a tarp, proves that Davis was the identified shooter.

On Jan. 23, the trial will continue.