Police Disarmed and Arrested Defendant After Mid-Day Shootings
WASHINGTON - Marc S. Jeffers, 23, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges stemming from an incident in which he randomly shot a gun at vehicles and passersby on a busy street in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Jeffers pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a 10-year prison term. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea on May 10, 2017, and sentenced Jeffers accordingly. Following his prison term, Jeffers will be placed on a period of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 7, 2016, shortly before 1:45 p.m., Jeffers was walking on Georgia Avenue NW, headed towards Randolph Street, while armed with a semi-automatic handgun. Jeffers came out of a restaurant at Georgia Avenue and Quincy Street NW and shot the handgun three times into the ground. He then pointed the gun at two people who exited the restaurant immediately before him and shot at them.
Jeffers then continued to walk on Georgia Avenue, pointing the gun at people on the street and then at a bus. He also shot his handgun at a four-door sport utility vehicle. As the motorist in the SUV was driving north in the 3700 block of Georgia Avenue, he heard several gunshots coming from his left side. The motorist felt his vehicle being hit and drove away. When he eventually flagged down officers to report what had happened, the motorist saw that a bullet struck the rear passenger door of his car, causing damage to the door.
Jeffers then walked into the middle of the street from the east side of the 3800 block of Georgia Avenue and fired several shots at another Metrobus that was traveling on the block. Several riders on the bus reported seeing Jeffers continue to walk northbound on Georgia Avenue as he fired the handgun. Several riders got on the floor of the bus to take cover.
An officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was in a Safeway in the 3800 block of Georgia Avenue when multiple people came into the store to report that a man was walking northbound on Georgia Avenue and shooting a handgun at passersby. The officer left the Safeway on his mountain bike and saw Jeffers across the street. The officer approached Jeffers, got off his mountain bike, took cover behind a sports utility vehicle parked on the west side of the street, and ordered Jeffers to drop his firearm. Jeffers ignored the commands and continued along Georgia Avenue. Jeffers then pointed his handgun north on Georgia Avenue and began shooting at an unknown subject. Once Jeffers began shooting, the officer left his cover behind the sports utility vehicle and approached him. According to the government’s evidence, the officer discharged his service weapon in an attempt to disarm Jeffers, who briefly fell to his knees, but did not drop the handgun. The officer continued to order Jeffers to drop the handgun, but Jeffers got up off his knees, and continued to walk north on Georgia Avenue. Jeffers then lifted the gun up to his chest level, at which point the officer discharged his weapon again. Jeffers was hit twice by the officer’s gunfire and fell to the ground.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Lashaune Briggs. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonali D. Patel, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
