Ronnell Offutt, 36, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury on four counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, including one count with a minor-victim enhancement. The charges stem from a shooting at a busy bus stop at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Minnesota Avenue Southeast on February 4, 2019. Offutt was also convicted on four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The verdict was delivered in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on September 26, 2025. Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2025 before Judge Danya A. Dayson.
According to evidence presented by prosecutors, Offutt had been assaulted earlier that day at the same intersection. He declined to file a police report after speaking with an off-duty Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) commander who witnessed part of the altercation. Cell phone data indicated that Offutt went home following the incident but returned about an hour later.
Video footage showed Offutt coming back to the area with a firearm and firing eight shots into a crowd near the bus stop during rush hour. Four people were injured: a five-year-old girl sustained an arm wound; one man was shot through the chest; another man suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and buttocks; and a fourth man was shot in the thigh. All victims survived but were left with lasting scars.
Offutt fled after the shooting. However, prior photographs taken by the MPD commander—along with video evidence and eyewitness accounts—helped identify him as the shooter. Ballistics analysis matched shell casings from the scene to a firearm recovered in Maryland, which DNA evidence linked to Offutt.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated: “This is yet another case of uncontrolled violence on the streets of DC,” adding, “My office will continue to fight to prosecute and convict those who think vigilante justice is the answer to their personal disputes.”
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the verdict. The investigation was led by MPD and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey Comber and Michael Roberts.
