Adrian Lee, a 49-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the shooting of two individuals in April 2023. The incident occurred on Gresham Place, NW, within the Columbia Heights neighborhood. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Lee was found guilty by a jury on September 24, 2024. His charges included aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon and significant bodily injury while armed, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm due to a prior conviction. In addition to his prison sentence, Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt ordered five years of supervised release.
The government presented evidence that on April 18, 2023, at around 3:15 p.m., the victims were returning home after celebrating their anniversary when an accident occurred involving Lee's wife sideswiping their car. Lee approached the scene and provided an expired insurance card to one victim. As one victim contacted the insurance company, Lee became impatient with the delay and instructed his wife to leave the scene; he then fled on foot.
When the victims attempted to follow him for valid insurance or vehicle information, their car's exterior cameras recorded Lee running away from them. After notifying a police officer and being advised to return to make an official report at the accident site, they encountered Lee again on Gresham Place where he resided. Lee retrieved a gun from his house and confronted them once more; he aimed at the female victim before shooting her male companion in the torso once. Following this altercation, both Lee and his wife fled to Florida.
U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith praised those involved in investigating this case from within Metropolitan Police Department ranks while also acknowledging Assistant United States Attorneys Rashmika Nedungadi along with Sara Matar who prosecuted it successfully.
