MPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violation For Fatal Shooting of D.C. Motorist

            WASHINGTON – Enis Jevric, 42, a Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the constitutional rights of 27-year old An’Twan Gilmore by using excessive force, on August 25, 2021, in a police shooting that killed Mr. Gilmore. Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter under D.C. law. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 1, 2024. 

            According to documents filed with the court, the defendant willfully used unconstitutionally excessive and unreasonable force by shooting Mr. Gilmore. Specifically, shortly before 3:00 am on August 25, 2021, the defendant and other MPD officers were dispatched to respond to a call for an armed man—later identified as Mr. Gilmore—who was either asleep or unconscious in the driver’s seat of a car that was stopped at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue, N.E.  The defendant approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to rouse Mr. Gilmore.  When Mr. Gilmore awoke, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly, and then moved forward again. As it did so, the defendant fired his MPD-issued firearm at the car four times. The car rolled down New York Avenue, and the defendant fired at it six more times. Three of the defendant’s shots struck Mr. Gilmore, who died a short time later from his wounds. No other officer fired at Mr. Gilmore. 

            “Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police Department officers who do their difficult and dangerous jobs honorably,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “But Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life—a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone within the District and to holding accountable all who violate those rights.”

            “As a sworn police officer, Jevric knew the acceptable boundaries in which he was authorized to use deadly force,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “His willful disregard of these rules resulted in Mr. Gilmore’s tragic and untimely death. While no judicial process will adequately address the loss that the Gilmore family has suffered in this situation, we are committed to ensuring the fullest administration of justice on behalf of the victim and his family.”

            As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that his conduct constituted unconstitutional, unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully, in reckless disregard of Mr. Gilmore’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his conduct created an extreme risk of death to Mr. Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with extensive assistance from the FBI Laboratory including the Laboratory Shooting Reconstruction Team. It is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.