Case Acquitted: Witness Who Wounded Non-Fatal Shooting Defendant Testifies About Funeral Melee

By Justine Stuber [former] - November 28, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects |

This case was acquitted on Dec. 1, 2023.

On Nov. 27, the man who admitted wounding non-fatal shooting defendant Saphire Johnson after a funeral testified before 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 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 called Johnson’s cousin, who shot Johnson, and was granted full immunity by the prosecution for his testimony. 

According to the witness, he had not been involved in the original dispute. He stated that he saw bullets fly and Johnson firing, which prompted him to pull out his own gun and fire a shot at Johnson, striking her leg. 

When the prosecution asked why he was carrying a gun that day, he said “We live in DC, you can’t go to amusement parks, you can’t go to a zoo. You can’t go anywhere without their being a shooting.” The firearm was illegally owned, but he will not be prosecuted as part of the deal. 

The witness said that he did not see a man approach Johnson with a gun as the defense claims. However, he did say he feared for his life, stating “I feel like if I didn’t do what I did, I could’ve been dead that day.” 

Defense attorneys Varsha Govindaraju and Christen Phillips revealed after the incident, the witness threw the gun into the woods. Six weeks later, he was arrested on charges relating to a second illegally owned firearm, but those charges were subsequently dropped by prosecutors irrespective of his immunity in this case. 

Defense then claimed that the witness had been drunk and high the day of the shooting. He admitted to having taken a few shots before the funeral, but said he was “just tipsy, not drunk”. 

According to the defense, the man who had been attacking Johnson told her “I should’ve killed your ass a long time ago,” but the witness said he did not hear that. The witness also stated that he “blacked out” during the shooting and could not remember many details. 

One witness who began her testimony on Nov. 21 identified herself as the aunt of the man who allegedly attacked Johnson. She had been in the middle of the argument that sparked Johnson’s shooting. 

According to the defense, the man had been threatening his daughter before approaching Johnson with his hand over his shoulder as if reaching for a gun. However, the witness said that she did not hear threats or see him reaching for a gun. 

According to her, she grabbed the alleged attacker’s arm and pulled him away from the argument. However, this is apparently inconsistent with surveillance footage but she said “I can’t explain that. I can only tell you what I experienced.” 

The witness testified after Johnson began shooting, she drove away and did not see either Johnson or the victim get shot. 

TThe trial will continue to Nov 28.