Prosecution Calls Shooting ‘A Neighborhood Dispute That Went Too Far’

By Elizabeth Bernstein - September 25, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects |

During a jury trial in DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt’s courtroom on Sept. 25, the prosecution labeled a non-fatal shooting as a “neighborhood dispute that went too far.”

Jamal Coleman, 32, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that injured one victim. The incident occurred on May 4, 2023, on the 4600 block of Polk Street, NE.

The prosecutor noted that the victim was a neighbor of Coleman’s, and that on May 4, 2023, the victim was walking to pick up his kids from school and heard two men say, “We’re gonna light his a** up.”

The prosecution alleged that shortly after this statement, Coleman and an unnamed accomplice drove down an alley and shot at the victim while he was walking. The victim then ran down a Metro station escalator for help.

The prosecution clarified that Coleman was the driver of the car, not the shooter, but that Coleman drove the car to an optimal location for the shooter. The prosecutor said that he was the only one of the men who had issues with the victim. 

He “acted with intent to kill” and “intended to cause serious injury,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecution argued that the victim sustained a serious life-altering injury because he had to have his knuckle replaced, rendering his hand permanently disabled.

The defense the prosecutor’s opening statement nothing more than a “good story.” The defense stated that Coleman didn’t have a gun, didn’t fire a gun, didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt or killed, didn’t have a plan, and wasn’t working with anybody. 

Further, the defense alleged that the victim didn’t mention Coleman until hours later when police suggested him, stating that the victim has “got a lot of stuff. A lot of issues. He has other things going on.” 

“These holes. These missing pieces. They matter… We are asking you to do the only thing that is right and just in this case and that is finding Mr. Coleman not guilty,” Coleman’s defense lawyers told the jury.

The prosecution called the former lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective on the case who described seeing multiple shell casings in the street and a trail of blood in the Metro station. 

The detective explained how they were able to identify Coleman’s vehicle from videos from the station and that the vehicle was identified later that day outside of Coleman’s residence. 

The prosecution also called the plastic surgeon who operated on the victim’s injuries who testified that the victim had two open wounds in his hand when he originally came to the ER.

X-rays of the victims injuries were admitted into evidence and the doctor showed that the victim had three broken finger bones and others that were missing.

The witness explained that the victim required two surgeries, one to remove debris from the hand and one to do a bone graft and stabilize the hand with plates and screws. 

He stated that the victim would need a lot of physical therapy for his hand and that his hand would not have the same mobility and function it once had.

The trial is slated to resume on Sept. 26.