WASHINGTON — A woman is pleading guilty to shooting her husband, who is also a retired Baltimore police officer, after she accused him of molesting children at her daycare business.
According to officials, 50-year-old Shanteari Weems shot her husband, James Weems in late July in the formerly-named Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel in Southwest, now known as The Salamander DC.
Shanteari Weems plead guilty to two of four charges: carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business and aggravated assault knowingly while armed. The other two charges she faced were possession of a firearm during a crime or violence and resisting arrest. The sentencing for this case will resume on Feb. 3, 2023, and the remaining charges will be dismissed then, according to officials.
Multiple DC Police officers responded to Mandarin Oriental, located at 1330 Maryland Avenue Southwest, around 7:40 p.m. on July 21, 2022, after reports of a man being shot on the 8th floor. Hotel management informed officials that initially they had a fire alarm go off in that room, and when they went to check, they saw blood on the wall.
When the officers arrived at the hotel room Shanteari Weems began to talk to them through the door. Officers said they asked Weems to come out so they could assist the man that was shot, but she then allegedly informed them that she would shoot herself if they came into the room.
As the conversation continued through the door, and the officers tried to confirm if there was a shooting victim, Shanteari Weems allegedly yelled, "he's a child molester."
Police said James Weems then told officers through the door that he was shot in the leg. After the confirmation, officers went into the room at 8:11 p.m. to treat the Weems and detain his wife, according to court documents.
While detained, Shanteari Weems told police she had been married to the man she shot for five years and they live together in Baltimore. She said that numerous children at her daycare business recently told her he had been molesting them. Weems says she reported her husband to Baltimore authorities.
WUSA9 previously reported in August that James Weems was denied bail for the charges he faced that stemmed from the sexual abuse allegations.
Editor's note: The video above was published on July 29, 2022.