Case Acquitted: Victim Testifies About Her Injuries in Non-Fatal Shooting Trial, ‘I Felt a Sting’

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 22, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

This case was acquitted on Dec. 1, 2023.

On Nov. 20, the trial of non-fatal shooting defendant Saphire Johnson resumed in front of DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park. 

Johnson, 24, is charged with aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon, among other charges, for her alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on Sept. 28 at the 4000 block of Alabama Avenue, SE.

The shooting occurred outside of Johnson’s grandmother’s church funeral after a dispute between family members. Two people, including Johnson, sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. 

The prosecution continued to question an individual who described her relationship with Johnson as “like a cousin”. They began by questioning her about the moments leading up to the shooting, when Johnson was allegedly attacked by three men. The witness is the mother of one of the men. 

According to court documents, during the confrontation, Johnson allegedly saw two of the men reaching for a gun. Upon seeing this, she fired at the men and accidentally struck a bystander in the face. 

The witness claimed she saw Johnson shoot at her son after the confrontation without striking him. However, the defense claims she was not aiming at the son, but her attackers. She also testified that the only person she saw with a gun was Johnson, but was unsure if her son or husband was carrying a weapon.  

“It was just so much. It was just so much going on. It was so much, that’s all I can say,” the witness said when asked to describe the scene during the shooting. 

During cross examination, the witness said she had tried to intervene in a dispute that occurred before the shooting. Allegedly, one of the men had been threatening to slap their minor child when Johnson interrupted. Then another man allegedly punched her in the back of the head, and she began to run away. The witness could no longer see what was happening at that point. 

Defense attorneys Varsha Govindaraju and Christen Phillips claim that Johnson only fired the gun when she was chased by a man appearing to reach for a gun. 

The next witness was the victim who had been unintentionally shot, according to Johnson. The witness is the girlfriend of one of the individuals allegedly involved in an altercation with Johnson prior to the shooting.

According to the witness, she heard the beginning of the confrontation in the parking lot but nothing else until she was shot. 

“I felt a sting. I felt a lot–it felt like water. Like a faucet. I fell to the ground,” the witness said, describing the moment she was shot. When she looked up she saw Johnson holding her arms out as if she was holding a gun. Since the incident, the witness has not been able to return to her job as a 911 dispatcher, citing injuries to her jaw.

The witness claims she did not hear her boyfriend or Johnson make any threats. She also said that she did not see him reach for a gun like Johnson claims. 

The trial will resume in front of DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on Nov. 21.