DC Superior Court Judge Charmetra Jackson Parker found probable cause and ordered the continued hold of a 17-year-old defendant accused of shooting two teenagers outside a DC charter school.
Damien Mowrer, 17, and Jekhi Wade, 18, are charged with robbery while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for their alleged involvement in a shooting on the 4400 block of 11th Street, NW, near E.L. Haynes Public Charter School on July 21.
Mowrer is charged under Title 16, which allows juveniles to be tried as adults for certain serious offenses.
According to court documents, Mowrer and Wade allegedly arranged to buy a Louis Vuitton bag for $200 from the victims, whom they reportedly met on Instagram. School security reportedly moved the group off campus to a sidewalk on 7th Street, NW, where one defendant allegedly pulled a gun before a struggle ensued over the bag, and both victims were shot.
The victims were found in the rear parking lot area of the school, on the 4500 block of Kansas Avenue, NW. One victim sustained two shots to his arm and a graze wound to his left chest, while the second victim sustained a shot to his abdomen.
Mowrer and Wade were scheduled to have a joint preliminary hearing. However, Lisbeth Sapirstein, Wade’s attorney, requested a continuance, citing a lack of time to prepare.
The prosecution argued it was a waste of time to hold separate preliminary hearings for the same set of facts. However, Mowrer’s attorney, Theodore Shaw, responded that “It happens all the time, it’s not the first co-defendant trial.”
Judge Parker granted Sapirstein’s request for continuance, while Mowrer’s preliminary hearing continued as scheduled.
A responding Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified that GPS data from Mowrer’s ankle monitor reportedly placed him at the crime scene and tracked his return to his residence, where his grandmother allegedly identified him from surveillance footage.
In a search warrant of Mowrer’s residence, the officer said MPD recovered a Louis Vuitton bag that reportedly matched the stolen bag. MPD also recovered a pair of Nike sneakers that the officer claimed matched those in a photo from a Lime scooter rental reportedly linked to the co-defendants.
In cross-examination, Shaw noted neither victim had formally identified Mowrer as a suspect, no footage showed him holding or firing a weapon, and the two victims provided conflicting accounts of how many suspects were armed.
Judge Parker found probable cause and emphasized that the stolen bag was recovered from Mowrer’s residence and the victims were the owners of the stolen property.
Shaw then argued for Mowrer’s release, citing a stable home, no criminal history, and an offer of home confinement.
The prosecution countered that Mowrer was already under GPS supervision for a prior offense when the incident occurred. Judge Parker ruled the severity of the victims’ injuries and the firearm involved outweighed the defense’s arguments and ordered Mowrer to remain held.
Parties for Wade are scheduled to reconvene on Aug. 12, and parties for Mowrer are scheduled to reconvene on Aug. 18.
