District Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Shooting Woman in Northwest Washington
WASHINGTON – Nikko Drake, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for shooting a woman outside a Northwest Washington nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Drake was found guilty by a jury in June 2022, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and related firearms offenses. He was sentenced by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan. Following his prison term, Drake will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at 11:25 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2020, Drake got into an argument with the female victim, who was then 21, outside a nightclub in the 1900 block of 9th Street NW, in the Shaw area. Drake punched the victim, knocking her to the ground. After a physical struggle, Drake shot her twice at close range in the body. The victim was taken to Howard University Hospital, where she required emergency trauma surgery. She suffered numerous gunshot injuries to the right inner thigh, right hip, stomach, and lower back, and continues to have physical limitations from the injuries.
MPD officers spotted Drake in the area in response to a look-out and apprehended him within 15 minutes of the offense. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long, Mark Hobel, and Daniel Lenerz; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Fretto Lingwood; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist R. Renee Prather; Lead Paralegal Specialist Tameka S. Garcia; Paralegal Specialists Crystal L. Waddy and Debra McPherson; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez; Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling, and Litigation Technology Specialist Maisha Treadwell.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Nicole G. H. Conte, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.