District Man Sentenced To 24 Years In Prison For 2006 Shoot-Out That Killed An Innocent Bystander-Gun Battle Unfolded In Parking Lot Of Southeast Washington Apartment Complex-

     WASHINGTON – Dontrace Blaine, 26, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 years in prison on charges stemming from a gun battle in 2006 that led to the death of an innocent bystander, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Blaine was found guilty by a jury in September 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of second-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin.

     According to the government’s evidence, Blaine took part in a gun battle at 11 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2006 outside an apartment complex in the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road SE.  During the gunfire, an innocent bystander, 25-year-old Adegoke Adenikinju, was struck in the chest by a stray bullet as he attempted to exit his vehicle in hopes of seeking cover. Mr. Adenikinju died in the parking lot from his injuries. Witnesses later identified Blaine as among the shooters.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the officers, detectives and evidence technicians from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Fern Rhedrick , Sandra Lane, Alesha Matthews Yette and Sharon Newman,; Litigation Technology Specialists Jeannie Latimore-Brown and Anisha Bhatia, and Investigative Analysts Lawrence Grasso and Zachary McMenamin. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Vinét Bryant, who prosecuted the case.