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By
John Michael Horvath
- June 18, 2025
Daily Stories
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A shooting defendant is still considered mentally incompetent to stand trial following a proceeding before DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe on June 13. That in spite of an earlier finding to the contrary.
Kevin Harrison, 24, is charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or place of business for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting on June 26, 2023, on the 2100 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. No injuries were reported.
In a previous hearing, the prosecution called a psychologist from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) who conducted a competency evaluation on Harrison, and stated that Harrison had a learning disability that did not affect his ability to understand, which does not create competency concerns. In order to stand trial a defendant must have the mental capacity to understand his legal situation and help his attorney argue the case.
Patrick Nowak, Harrison’s defense attorney, insisted that the psychologist “grossly misstated” Harrison’s mental status and “grossly mischaracterized” the definition of a learning disability.
Judge Pipe agreed with the defense, and deemed Harrison incompetent to stand trial.
During the follow up mental health the prosecution and defense were waiting on another evaluation regarding Harrison’s mental competence or restoration of competence. However, the mental health expert had not reported to the court at the time of the hearing, meaning Harrison is still considered incompetent until proven otherwise.
The next hearing is slated to occur on July 2.