Shooting Defendant’s Competency Challenged, Co-Defendant Wants Severance

By D.C. Witness Staff - September 16, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

A shooting defendant’s attorney alerted DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe on Sept. 13 that the he intends to contest a mental competency finding. 

Christopher Hinton, 20, and Kevin Harrison, 23, are charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, for their alleged involvement in a shooting on June 26, 2023 on 2100 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. No injuries were reported. 

According to police documents, officers watched the defendants flee the scene and were arrested. Hinton was allegedly carrying a concealed firearm while Harrison attempted to throw a gun under a vehicle. Both were unregistered firearms with large amounts of ammunition.

Harrison’s attorney, Patrick Nowak, requested the court vacate the trial date in light of Harrison’s mental health exam results. Although a report from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) revealed that Harrison is competent to stand trial, Nowak alerted the court he disagreed and would be seek an his own expert to for an evaluation.

Andrew Ain, Hinton’s attorney, requested the co-defendants be severed in order to guarantee that the contested behavioral findings didn’t affect Hinton’s trial date. 

Harrison’s release conditions were also adjusted to accommodate a sentence from a new case so he would be allowed to participate in community service while on home confinement and GPS monitoring. 

Parties are scheduled to reconvene to further discuss severance on Sept. 27.