Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images
A Washington, D.C. man, Jerrell Lamont Jackson, is facing federal charges after allegedly shooting a Georgia National Guard member over the weekend. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced charges against the 41-year-old on Wednesday. Authorities say Jackson opened fire on National Guard members who were attempting to break up a fight at a D.C. restaurant. One Guard member was shot in the leg, while Jackson was injured when other Guard members returned fire. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Federal charges were filed against Jackson on Tuesday, including assault with a dangerous weapon and two felony gun charges: possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. Jackson, who has a history of weapons and drug charges, was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting a special police officer in 2014. No attorney was listed for him as of Wednesday afternoon.
The altercation began shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday (October 19) outside Cafe 8 hookah bar on Barracks Row. National Guard members intervened to stop a fight when gunfire erupted. According to a statement by D.C. police, Jackson began shooting during the fight and attempted to flee while discharging his firearm towards the National Guard members, striking one of them. The guardsmen returned fire, hitting Jackson.
Court documents reveal that surveillance footage captured Jackson leaving Cafe 8, engaging in a fight, and then shooting into a nearby smoke shop. As he fled down an alley, he exchanged gunfire with the guardsmen. Jackson was shot in the abdomen and taken to the hospital, while the injured National Guard member was treated and released.
The incident marks the second high-profile shooting involving National Guard members in D.C. in less than a year. Last November, Spec. Sarah Beckstrom died, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was injured in a shooting outside the Farragut West Metro station. The suspect in that case has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges.