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By
Brigette Bagley
, Rebbeca Haghnegahdar - March 21, 2025
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan heard details of a shooting-related car accident as the second day of a four-year-old homicide trial continued on March 20.
Deonte Patterson, 29, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and obstructing justice, with influence or delay of a witness or officer, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Ali Jamil Al-Mahdi, 32, on Aug. 23, 2021, at the 1800 block of 9th Street, NW.
The prosecution called a DC Department of Forensic Science (DFS) crime scene analyst who investigated the car accident at the intersection of 9th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, the night of the alleged shooting. The accident involved Patterson with two other witnesses in one vehicle and two different cars. The investigator took photos of the wreckage and recovered a firearm on the scene, which he rendered unusable. He submitted a bullet that was in the chamber and a magazine as evidence but did not test anything for DNA.
He took photos of Patterson and another victim at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He said that Patterson had injuries to his neck and left arm, and the second victim, minor injuries to his hands, but after taking a couple of pictures of the second victim, he was asked to stop, and he complied.
The prosecution called another DFS analyst, who photographed Patterson’s wrecked car. He testified that there were two bullet holes on the passenger side, one in the back and the other at the passenger side door. Based on trajectory rods placed in the bullet holes, he was able to determine the shots likely came from behind the car, but he couldn’t estimate how close the shooter was and what caliber bullets were used.
A specialist from the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) who performed Al-Mahdi’s autopsy said Al-Mahdi sustained two gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma to the legs, wounds consistent with Al-Mahdi turning away from the firearm before falling.
However, under cross-examination, she clarified that while the injuries suggested a certain trajectory, the exact position of the victim at the time of death could not be determined.
She deemed the cause of death as gunshot wounds, and the manner of death a homicide.
Parties are slated to reconvene on March 24.