‘We Already Got Enough Violence in These Streets,’ Says Eyewitness in Shooting Trial

By Sam Chodorow [former] - May 12, 2024
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A defendant’s friend, who grew up in “a rough neighborhood” with him, testified she told him to turn himself in following a shooting, before DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on May 8.

Marcedes Edmunds, 38, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict, carrying a shotgun or rifle outside a home or business, destruction of property worth $1,000 or more, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition, for his alleged involvement in a shooting incident on the 4000 block of Haynes Street, NE, on May 1, 2019. One individual sustained gunshot wounds during the incident.

According to court documents, Edmunds and an older individual got into a verbal altercation over a woman, causing Edmunds to retrieve a firearm from his car, before allegedly telling the victim “I’ll give you five seconds to get off my block,” before  shooting.

Prosecutors called a woman who watched the shooting happen. “We was just chillin’ and vibin’,” she said. “All hell broke loose.” The victim sustained a shotgun wound to the leg and suffered severe bleeding.

She explained during her testimony that she has known Edmunds, who she referred to as “Man-Man,” since they were children. 

According to the witness, they both grew up in a rough neighborhood, and her parents tried to take Edmunds and other children to church in an attempt to keep them away from the violence the neighborhood experienced. 

She testified they hadn’t seen each other as often in recent years, saying, “He moved differently than he used to.” However, she received a phone call from Edmunds the morning of the shooting after not hearing from him for months. 

According to the witness, he asked her to have a drink with him in DC, to which she agreed. “I came 45 minutes to chill, I didn’t think I’d end up here like this,” she said.

The witness said there were multiple empty bottles of liquor lying around when she arrived, and everyone in the group was drunk.

She became agitated with prosecutors, claiming she didn’t remember much, and telling them she didn’t “want to deal with this, I’d rather just get locked up or whatever y’all do.” 

However, she did testify to seeing Edmunds with a gun, despite not remembering what it looked like. 

“It was real loud, I took off running,” the witness explained when asked how she reacted to the shooting. 

“I told him he needed to turn himself in, and man up, instead of bringing everyone else into it,” she said, regarding her conversation with Edmunds following the incident.  “We already got enough violence in these streets.”

“I’m terrified of retaliation that would come against me and my family,” she told prosecutors during questioning. .

During cross-examination, Mark Rollins, Edmunds’ defense attorney, questioned her drug use the day of the shooting. According to the witness, she smoked her medical prescription marijuana. 

Rollins also questioned her regarding her schizophrenia diagnosis and medication. “If you don’t take Haldol[a prescription], is it fair to say you think you could see things and hear things that aren’t there?” asked Rollins. 

 “Maybe I’m hallucinating, maybe I have bipolar disorder, but I try to keep myself grounded,” she responded. 

When questioned regarding her criminal history, the witness testified she has prior convictions, stating they’re “for narcotics distribution, but that was 15 years ago, and I ain’t done nothing since.”

Following her testimony, prosecutors called  a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who explained that upon arrival to the scene, he and his coworkers canvassed for witnesses and physical evidence. 

According to the detective, they recovered a shotgun wadding at the scene, which he testified separates gunpowder from the projectile inside the shell. 

“We were like ‘Holy crap, that’s a lot of blood to have lost,’” said the detective regarding the blood stains inside the vehicle at the scene. He added that the vehicle was covered in defects consistent with gunshots. 

Throughout the investigation, MPD detectives attempted to recover surveillance footage of the shooting but were unsuccessful. 

However, the detective testified that surveillance footage was recovered from a liquor store less than a block from the crime scene. Footage of an individual identified as Edmunds was found, and still-images were used to help witnesses confirm the identity of the shooter.

During cross examination, Rollins claimed the investigation is not complete, stating the detective failed to identify two women who were present at the time of the shooting. 

Prosecutors also called a friend of Edmunds, who was seen on surveillance footage in the liquor store and was present at the gathering, but left before the shooting occurred.

According to the friend, he has known Edmunds since 2018 when they were introduced through mutual friends, and explained they would occasionally drink together.

Prosecutors showed the witness video and still-images from the liquor store, and asked him to identify the individuals shown. 

He identified himself and Edmunds, and explained that after they left the liquor store they drove in separate directions before meeting up at the house on Haynes Street.

When asked about the victim, he explained that he didn’t “remember exactly what he [the victim] said, but he was having a bad day,” adding, “Everyone made him mad.” 

He testified he didn’t see Edmunds in possession of a weapon on the day of the incident. 

Parties are set to reconvene on May 13.