Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed of a 6-Year-Old in Southeast Washington D.C.

            WASHINGTON –A Superior Court jury found Deon Cannon, 30, of Washington, D.C., guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed of a minor and other charges in a late-afternoon shooting that took place on Labor Day weekend in 2021 on Terrace Road SE at Naylor Gardens, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Cannon also was found guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon committed against a minor, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. The verdict was returned on August 7, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            The Honorable Judge Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for October 11, 2024. Cannon faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.

             According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:40 p.m. on September 5, 2021, Cannon was pacing the sidewalk of Terrace Road SE, waiting for the victim to walk in that direction. The victim was walking from the playground with his 6-year-old son when Cannon fired two rounds aimed directly at the victims. In defense of his son, the father fired back. A second shooter came from around the corner and fired 17 more rounds aimed at the victim while his son ran away.

            Cannon followed the victims and was seen by officers within minutes of the shooting. He fled but was later caught and arrested. He has been in custody since. 

            Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department recovered surveillance video from the residences in the area that captured the shooting.  At the time of Cannon’s arrest, he was wearing clothing that matched that worn by the suspect in the surveillance video. Additionally, the government presented DNA and ballistics evidence.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Matar and Mark Levy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.