District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison For Shooting That Wounded 7-Year-Old Girl

            WASHINGTON – Michael Wiggins, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a seven-year prison term on charges stemming from a shooting last spring that injured a 7-year-old bystander, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Wiggins pled guilty on Aug. 19, 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of aggravated assault while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a seven-year prison term. The Honorable Zoe Bush accepted the plea and sentenced Wiggins accordingly. After his prison term, Wiggins will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            In his plea, Wiggins admitted that on April 8, 2016, at about 9:30 p.m., he was in the 2900 block of Knox Place SE, and had been fighting with his cousin. As his cousin was leaving Knox Place by car, Wiggins fired four shots at the vehicle, shattering its back windshield. Meanwhile, the victim, a 7-year-old girl, was arriving home with her family after an outing to Chuck E. Cheese. One of the shots hit her in the chest and she fell to the ground. The victim was immediately transported to Children’s National Medical Center and has made a full recovery.

            Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were swift to identify Wiggins as the shooter and he was arrested on April 11, 2016. Wiggins admitted that he was shooting at his cousin that night.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the work of those handling the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Barr, who prosecuted the matter.