Maryland Man Found Guilty of Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed in November 2017 Near Dupont Circle

           WASHINGTON – Gabriel Sanchez, 27, of Washington, DC, was found guilty by a jury of assault with intent to kill while armed and related assault and firearms charges for shooting a man in November 2017 in Northwest near Dupont Circle. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

           Sanchez was also convicted of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The verdict, returned late August 2, 2019, followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna scheduled sentencing for September 27, 2019. Sanchez faces up to 30 years in prison for the charge of Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed.

           According to the government's evidence, on November 26, 2017, just after 1:00 a.m., Sanchez was walking in the 1300 block of Connecticut Avenue, where the street and sidewalk were crowded with patrons. The victim was in the passenger seat of a car driving past, and Sanchez took offense to how the victim looked at him and his female companions. The defendant walked quickly to his vehicle parked on Connecticut Avenue, pulled out a handgun, and shot the victim in the face as his car went past. The victim survived but lost his left eye. The defendant got in his car and drove away immediately.  In order to conceal his connection to the shooting, Sanchez traded in his car the next day at a Honda dealership and smashed his cell phone with a hammer provided by the car salesman. Sanchez then tried to convince the car salesman not to disclose to the grand jury that Sanchez had smashed his cell phone. 

           Sanchez was indicted and arrested in January 2018, and has been in custody since that time.

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Ahmed Baset, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond Hulser; Paralegal Specialists Antoinette Sakamsa and Alesha Matthews; and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling and Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas Royal.