District Man Sentenced to 12-Year Prison Term For Shooting Man in Northwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – Dominic Leatherwood, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison on charges stemming from an attempted murder in Northwest Washington in March 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Leatherwood pled guilty in May 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Zoe Bush. Following his prison term, Leatherwood will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the victim’s girlfriend shared two children in common with the defendant. At approximately 12:15 a.m. on March 4, 2016, the victim was giving his girlfriend a ride from work, and was going to drop his girlfriend off near Leatherwood’s home. Leatherwood had been in communication with her, and arranged for her to be dropped off by the victim near the intersection of Georgia Avenue NW and Crittenden Street NW. When the two arrived at the intersection, Leatherwood, who was armed with a firearm, approached the car and fired four shots at the victim, who was in the driver’s seat. One of these shots struck the victim in the abdomen, and the victim later underwent surgery because of his injuries. Leatherwood was arrested on March 5, 2016 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.

            She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key, Tiffany Jones, Donville Drummond, and Debra McPherson; Christina Principe, Lu Lan, LaJune Thames, and Katina Adams-Washington, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia; and Criminal Investigators Christopher Brophy, Tommy Miller, and John Marsh.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Romano and Luke Jones, who investigated and prosecuted the case.