Shooting Defendant Sentenced to Five-Years in Plea Deal

By Rebecca Connor [former] , Ayoola Fadahunsi [former] - June 21, 2023
Daily Stories | Domestic Violence | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On June 21, DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan sentenced Tyrone Diggs for assault with a dangerous weapon and for carrying a pistol outside a home or business. 

Diggs was initially charged with assault with intent to kill, but the charge was reduced as a result of a plea agreement.

According to court documents, on Sept. 12, 2022, Diggs, 32, shot a woman in the face inside a home on the 700 block of Burns Street, SE. At the time, she was sitting on the toilet. After the incident she fled the building and was helped by multiple witnesses before police responded to the scene. 

Diggs and the victim were allegedly in a romantic relationship at the time of the shooting. 

Defense attorney Edward Gain stated that the defendant was likely high on PCP at the time of the shooting, which led to his irrational behavior. 

As part of the plea agreement, Diggs was sentenced to five-years for assault with a dangerous weapon, with all but two years suspended. Judge Ryan also marked off nine months of the sentence as time served in the DC Jail leading up to his sentencing. 

The defendant was also sentenced to two years for carrying a pistol outside a home or business, with all but 18 months suspended.  The sentences are served concurrently. 

Throughout the sentencing the defense reiterated that Diggs had no past criminal history, and that he only began abusing drugs and alcohol after several deaths is his family.

Gain stated that the defendant had a history of mental health issues, including depression, and that these symptoms were likely exacerbated by his drug use due to grief.  The defense brought forward several of Diggs’s family members to argue for a lighter sentence. 

They said that Diggs had been a quiet child and had no history of behavioral issues before the deaths in his family, and that they led him down a “bad path.” The best approach, they said, was counseling and drug rehabilitation.

The defendant also spoke on his own behalf, saying that he would not have the opportunity to “deal with emotional problems” while in jail, and that serving additional time would likely worsen his mental health issues. 

However, the prosecution, said that the violent nature of the crime should factor heavily into Judge Ryan’s sentencing.  The prosecution noted that it was only “by chance that Diggs did not kill the victim,” which would have made the case a homicide. 

The prosecutor stated the absolute minimum sentence the court should have imposed was five years.

Although Judge Ryan sympathized with the defendant’s past challenges, he said that the court is not here for treatment, but for punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation combined. 

He agreed with the prosecution regarding the nature of the case, stating that “the act of shooting someone in the face must be punished.”

However, Judge Ryan also reiterated the need for rehabilitation, especially after the defendant’s release, saying that the sentence “doesn’t require that Mr. Diggs give up hope.”