Shooting Defendant’s Wife Feared Retaliation After Car Accident Confrontation

By Alishba Kamran , Marissa Stambaugh - September 20, 2024
Daily Stories | Shooting |

In a trial before, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on Sept. 18, the jury heard the defendant’s pregnant wife say that a confrontation after a car accident left her in fear.

Adrian Lee, 49, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a shooting incident on the 700 block of Gresham Place, NW, on April 18, 2023. One individual sustained serious injuries during the incident. 

Defense attorney Destiny Fullwood-Singh called Lee’s wife, who told what happened after a car accident in which her vehicle, a Chevy Suburban collided with a Tesla carrying two passengers.

She stated that the victim and the woman in the Tesla were both “hostile” towards her and Lee when he arrived to provide insurance information requested by the victim but it had expired.

Lee said earlier he ran to his house and got a gun from a friend living nearby. He said the victim and the woman passenger got out of their car and approached his house. Lee told them to leave, and thought he saw the man reach in his waistband, so he fired a shot. 

Lee’s wife claimed she fled because she was “scared,” since she was pregnant and previously had a miscarriage. 

“I thought they would hurt me, I didn’t know what they would do,” she said. According to the witness, she heard a gunshot after she went home. 

The witness testified that she feared her husband had been shot, saying she and her family left home that night, fearing that the individuals involved in the accident would retaliate. Lee said he left DC for Florida after the shooting, not to evade the police, but avoid retaliation. He said he stayed in Florida longer than he planned because his car broke down. 

Lee was arrested about a year after the incident.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective, assigned to the case Lee can be heard on video during a police interview saying multiple times “I’m not the shooter”.

The prosecution then called the doctor who said the victim’s wounds were life-threatening and required surgery. He confirmed that the bullet was fired “into the abdomen area near the spine.”

Following the testimony, the defense filed a motion for judgment of acquittal, stating that the prosecution failed to meet their burden of proof. Judge Brandt denied it, stating that a reasonable jury could find Lee guilty of the charges. 

Parties are scheduled to resume trial on Sept. 19.