District Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Shooting Man Outside His Doorstep

           WASHINGTON – Jamal Blocker, 18, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday August 23, 2019 for a shooting that killed a man as he stepped out his doorstep to walk to the store, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

           Blocker pled guilty in April 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second degree murder while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna  Beck. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, around 4 p.m., on Monday September 24, 2018, the victim, a 24-year-old- man, who had just finished basic training in the U.S. Army, was walking to the store with a 17-year-old relative. Just steps outside of their doorstep, Blocker shot four times at the young men – striking the victim in the chest.  The victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead a short while later.

           Blocker was arrested on October 2, 2018, after being caught with an illegal firearm in Maryland. 

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives, officers, and mobile crime technicians who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite and Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Clark.

           Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.