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By
Patrick Hillmeyer
- March 19, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Non-Fatal Shooting
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Shooting
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A shooting defendant was granted home confinement release by DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum on March 18, despite past firearm infractions.
Onterrio Wilkinson, 19, is charged with endangerment with a firearm in a public place and unlawful discharge of a firearm for his alleged participation in a crime that occurred on the 1900 block of Half Street, SW on Sept. 28, 2024. The incident allegedly involved multiple parties with guns and left one victim injured.
In court, the prosecution called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who demonstrated how discovered Wilkinson was the lead suspect. The detective explained Wilkinson was allegedly at a party two hours prior to the incident wearing a gray sweater, gray pants, and lighter shoes. He compared this to surveillance footage allegedly showing the perpetrator had a build like Wilkinson’s and was wearing similar clothing.
To place Wilkinson at the party, the detective followed a tip from an administrator at Wilkinson’s high school, who after seeing footage of Wilkinson at the party, identified a suspect said to be him to the detective.
Erica Arensmen, Wilkinson’s attorney, argued that the prosecution lacked probable cause. She claimed there were issues with identification, as the detective’s testimony never mentioned the “very obvious” neck tattoo on Wilkinson. She stated that the detective’s comparison of the clothing from the two pieces of footage was “incredibly general and non-specific.” Lastly, she stated that the administrator who gave the tip did not see footage from the shooting, rather from an unconnected party that took place two hours earlier.
Arensmen also implied that Wilkinson could have been acting in self defense, as the detective’s testimony stated that Wilkinson reacted to other gunshots. The prosecution argued that Wilkinson provoked the shooting by allegedly brandishing his firearm.
Judge Hildum credited the testimony of the detective and stated there was adequate identification. He also disagreed with the notion of self-defense, stating that a 19-year-old with an illegal firearm cannot claim self-defense. He found probable cause for both charges.
As for pretrial release, Arensmen told the court that Wilkinson is a senior on track to graduate and is incredibly involved in his community. She asked that he be put on 24-hour home confinement at his home in Hyattsville, Maryland.
The prosecution rebutted, stating that the bail sheet indicates Wilkinson had been charged with possession of a firearm as a minor. Wilkinson’s probation had recently expired just a few months before the incident. Finally, they claimed that another firearm was recovered at the time of the arrest in this case.
Nonetheless, Judge Hildum granted release to Wilkinson on 24-hour home confinement with GPS monitoring at all times. Wilkinson is also not to enter DC or possess a firearm of any kind.
Parties are slated to reconvene March 28.