Jajuan Gripper, 22, of Washington, D.C., was convicted on all charges in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the murder of Rynell Bradford. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The jury deliberated for one day before finding Gripper guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence and first-degree premeditated murder while armed. Judge Michael Ryan set sentencing for October 17, 2025.
Prosecutors presented evidence that on December 20, 2022, at around 9:40 p.m., Gripper and two others followed Bradford out of his apartment building in Kenilworth, Northeast D.C., where he lived with his fiancé and infant daughter. After an exchange of words, Gripper and his accomplices fired at least 19 shots as Bradford ran away. Bradford was struck once in the back of the head and died at the scene.
Gripper was arrested in March 2023 and has been held since then.
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the verdict.
In their statement, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith recognized those involved in investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Branch and thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Charles R. Jones and Anthony Cocuzza for prosecuting.
