Victim Lost Fetus As a Result of the Shooting
WASHINGTON - Terrell Bringier, 26, of Lanham, Md., was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term for shooting his then-pregnant girlfriend in the stomach last fall and causing her to lose their unborn child, Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. announced.
Bringier pled guilty on Jan. 2, 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of aggravated assault while armed. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 15, 2014, Bringier and the victim were on a telephone call arguing over the custody of their unborn child, at which point the defendant told the victim that he would be coming to her apartment with his gun. The victim was approximately five months pregnant. Once Bringier arrived at the victim’s residence in Northeast Washington, shortly after noon, he attempted to gain entry. The door was locked, however, and the victim refused to open it. Bringier and the victim began arguing through the door, and at some point, he threatened to kick open the door if the victim did not open it within five seconds. After counting two seconds out loud, Bringier fired one round at close range into the door, striking the victim in the abdominal region.
An ambulance arrived on scene, and the victim was transported to the hospital. According to the doctors who treated her, the bullet had gone through the stomach before coming to rest in the victim’s left hip region. She would ultimately learn that the fetus was not viable inside or outside the womb, and soon thereafter, she lost her fetus.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Troy Griffith, Victim/Witness Advocate Shawn Slade, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Nguyen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
