D.C. police detained a suspect on Friday in connection with the death of a 17-year-old last month, who they say was shot in front of several passengers after an argument on a Metro train as it pulled into the Waterfront station. On May 28th, a shooting on a Sunday morning rekindled concerns about safety on the region’s extensive public transportation network.
The number of robberies, larcenies, and aggravated assaults on trains, buses, and in stations increased in April. On Thursday afternoon, a bystander was shot and killed in the Shaw area; police have already arrested a suspect in connection with the incident.
The individual pled guilty to illegal gun possession in May and was released pending sentencing in July, according to court documents. Police announced that 23-year-old Keith N. Williams of Southeast Washington has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting at the Metro.
It’s unclear if he has legal representation, but he may make his first court appearance on Saturday in D.C. Superior Court. In less than two weeks, another youngster had been shot and killed on a platform at the Wheaton Metro station in Maryland, and three months earlier, a Metro employee had been shot and killed while attempting to stop a gunman targeting commuters inside the Potomac Avenue station in Washington, D.C.
Fort Washington resident Brendan Ofori was the victim of a gunshot at the Waterfront station, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. No luck has been had in contacting his family. According to the police, Ofori and the attacker got into an argument aboard a Green Line train at the L’Enfant Plaza stop.
According to the police, the altercation continued aboard the train, and several bullets were fired as the vehicle approached the Waterfront stop. Police were contacted once the train reached the Navy Yard station. Authorities did not comment on the arrest or the nature of the dispute on Friday.
The incident in Shaw on Thursday afternoon took place along a busy commercial area in the 1900 block of 7th Street NW, at around 1:15 p.m. Police identified the victim as 62-year-old Lasanta Qumar McGill from Northwest Washington, who had nothing to do with the incident.
On Friday, we made many unsuccessful attempts to contact his family. Second-degree murder charges have been filed against 20-year-old Demarcus Barnett of Southeast Washington, according to police. D.C. Superior Court charging documents state that Barnett entered a convenience store and confronted another man in the lobby.
They stated he took out a gun, put it back in his waistband, and fled. A few minutes later, both men reportedly returned to the store wearing masks and accosted Barnett. The documents, which are mostly based on security footage, state that the suspects shoved Barnett against a wall, shot him in the head, and stole his backpack.
Police arrest suspect in fatal shooting aboard Metro train https://t.co/z1W0o2iZK3
— Peter Hermann (@phscoop) June 9, 2023
According to the police, Barnett followed them as they left the business and fired eight shots at them with his own gun. Neither “had a firearm in their hands at the time the defendant began firing,” the court papers state, and the video evidence supports this. According to the police report, only McGill, who was standing on the sidewalk, was injured.
According to the police, one of the males who had been shot at had turned and fired back. According to the authorities, the victim had already collapsed by that time. Eight.40 casings and one.45 casing were reportedly found. Barnett allegedly threw a.40-caliber revolver into bushes near Howard University Hospital, according to a police officer’s report.
According to the evidence presented in court, this officer was the one who apprehended Barnett and recovered the weapon. According to court documents, police arrested Barnett in January on charges of illegal weapons possession. The charge he pled guilty to on May 1 carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but he was released pending trial.
Barnett’s sentence is set for July 21, following a hearing in June. Shaw’s advisory neighborhood commissioner, Sean Holihan, stated that neighbors, business owners, and others are working hard to recapture blocks that he described as dangerous, with drugs and firearms, where the incident occurred.
He said that it is more difficult to do their work now that Barnett has been released from custody after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a pistol. Saying, “It’s incredibly frustrating,” he continued. Holihan added that this made their work more difficult and took the ability to find answers “out of the community’s hands.”
If you’re interested in reading more about the subjects discussed, you might find these resources useful:
- Aiken Businesses Rally Behind 13-Year-Old Shooting Victim
- Mckees Rocks Shooting Prompts Robinson Township Police Chase
Attorney Steven J. Ogilvie, who represents Barnett in the murder and firearms case, would not comment on Friday. A representative from the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. indicated that she could not immediately provide details about his release in the firearms case.
A representative for the Superior Court in Washington, DC, stated that judges do not discuss ongoing cases. There was a delay in the availability of hearing transcripts. A stand-in for Ogilvie’s attorney pointed out that Barnett had no prior convictions before the gun case during a brief court appearance on the murder accusation on Friday and asked that he be released pending trial.
An attorney for the state raised an objection, telling the judge, “the victim was an innocent bystander.” The judge ordered Barnett held until June 20 and set the hearing date. This year has already broken the record for the earliest time that 100 homicides have been documented in D.C. since 2003.
If you want rapid access to future stories on California, you should add the California Examiner to your bookmarks.
