Washington Teen Who Fired 20-Plus Rounds, Wounding Boy at Basketball Court, Gets Probation Over Prosecutors' Objection
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced on Nov. 13 that Darius Drew, 19, of Washington, was sentenced to probation and released the same day for firing more than 20 rounds near a Northwest recreation center in May, wounding a boy who was playing basketball.
Drew pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The government asked the court to impose five years in prison, the top of Drew's sentencing guidelines, citing his indiscriminate firing from two locations into the community. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro imposed 24 months in prison but suspended execution of the sentence and placed Drew on 18 months of supervised probation, sentencing him under the Youth Rehabilitation Act over the government's objection.
According to the government's evidence, on May 11, 2026, Drew was seen riding a Lime bike into an alley in the 700 block of Taylor Street, Northwest, and ShotSpotter soon alerted to the sound of ten gunshots, with surveillance video capturing him firing at a car parked in the alley. Seconds later, in the 4100 block of 9th Street, Northwest, Drew fired toward a house near the alley and struck a boy playing basketball at a nearby recreation center in the leg. In total, Drew fired over 20 rounds into the community.
A search warrant later executed at Drew's home recovered two firearms, ammunition, and large amounts of suspected narcotics and marijuana. Drew was arrested on May 22, 2026, and had been in custody until his release on Nov. 13, also over the government's objection.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department commended the department's investigators. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Anderson, under case number 2026 CF3 007856.
(Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的哥伦比亚特区高等法院 H. Carl Moultrie 法院大楼，本案在此审理。ajay_suresh 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, where this case was heard. By ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
